Third Time's A Charm
by xXdreameaterXx
Summary: The first time he met her, she was undoubtedly too young for him. The second time he was her professor and she was his student, dating some silly guy with a bow tie. Now she is back, teaching at the same university, and the Doctor is determined not to let this opportunity slip away. However, Clara is now engaged to a maths teacher.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm back with a new fic! Hope you guys enjoy it ;)_

 **Third Time's A Charm**

 _The first time he met her, she was undoubtedly too young for him. The second time he was her professor and she was his student, dating some silly guy with a bow tie. Now she is back, teaching at the same university and the Doctor is determined not to let this opportunity slip away. However, Clara is now engaged to a maths teacher._

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The Doctor took a large gulp of tea to wash down the biscuit and turned around to stare out of his office window, somehow knowing that this would be his year. Well, he didn't _know_. But he certainly _hoped_.

It was a new university, a new job, a new flat, new everything. Okay, technically it wasn't all new. He had taught here before for a few years, then Glasgow, then Oxford, and Glasgow again, but London always drew him back for some reason and maybe this time he would stay for good. The Doctor had accepted this job on a whim, packed his bags and a day later dropped them on his best friend's doorstep. Now here he was, in a small but cosy office, ready to start teaching as soon as classes would begin the following week.

He took another biscuit from the plate and stuffed it in his mouth before he bent down to pick up a pile of books and carried them into the adjoined, unused office that he had almost turned into his library in a matter of two hours, but next to the sofa and desk in his office there simply wasn't enough space for all of his books – and his best friend would kill him if he blocked her kitchen with them.

The university building was still very quiet thanks to the lack of students and the Doctor was fairly certain that not all teachers and professors had settled in yet either, so he unpacked his favourite office device – and old record player – along with a nice selection of vinyls. After a few seconds of cracking sounds The Hollies started to play and he continued to unpack his books, only now in a much more relaxing atmosphere.

By the time the music ran out he was almost finished, so he decided to fetch one more cup of tea from the staff kitchen before he called it a day. The Doctor had only just settled behind his desk and taken a sip from his fresh mug when he suddenly became aware of voices on the corridor and they were drawing closer. Something about one of them seemed strangely familiar. Then the door to his library opened.

"Uh, I like this one. It's very bright."

The Doctor recognized it instantly and his heart seemed to skip a little beat as he carefully set his mug back down. That voice, that cute, northern accent.

"These books will have to go though," she said while the Doctor rose to his feet and carefully glimpsed around the corner through the open door that connected both offices. And sure enough, there she was. Clara Oswald. The Doctor could hardly believe his eyes.

"I'm not actually sure what these are doing here," Mr Armitage, the head of staff, told her, but Clara wasn't listening to him any longer as it seemed.

She had turned her head in his direction and the Doctor froze when she smiled broadly at him.

"Doctor," she said fondly and even though he tried not to get his hopes up, Clara seemed delighted to see him. She remembered him. It had been years and she still remembered him. His mouth suddenly felt dry and he had no idea what to reply.

 _Quick. Say something intelligent_ , he told himself. "Clara," the Doctor swallowed, "Y-y-ou. . . you still haven't grown."

Clara laughed in reply, that wonderful, heartfelt laugh that could turn his knees into pudding and right now she was laughing at his stupidity. Damn his silly mouth that had always made him look like a bit of an idiot in front of her. Some things, the Doctor thought, would probably never change.

"Oh, that's right," Mr Armitage suddenly said, interrupting his internal scolding, "You two know each other, of course."

"Yeah," Clara agreed, exchanging looks between him and the head of staff, "The Doctor taught a career oriented course from my old school and he was my professor when I came to study here. I took all of his classes."

Mr Armitage laughed. "He failed you that often, did he?"

"Not at all," she shook her head, smiling towards the Doctor. His heart was still beating too damn fast, but failed to actually deliver some blood to his brain. "I just enjoyed them a lot."

"Wonderful," Mr Armitage clapped his hands together, "Shall I show the rest of the building then?"

"Sure, just lead the way, I'll follow," she said and turned towards the Doctor once more, still smiling, "I'll see you around, I guess?"

The only thing the Doctor could do at this point was nod and watch Clara leave the room behind the head of staff, not wanting to risk another stupid thing to slip from his lips. He only dared to breathe again when their footsteps had vanished into the staff kitchen across the hall and the Doctor leaned back against the wall, just breathing.

Clara Oswald was back. And now she was a teacher, a colleague. His heart just wouldn't stop hammering in his chest.

The Doctor remembered the first time they had met only too well. It had been some stupid thing some stupid school had thought of, giving their pupils a taste of university life for a week, giving them an opportunity to try out different subjects, listen to some lectures and he had been the idiot who had had to teach those pudding brains. Except that they hadn't all been pudding brains. Right on the first day the Doctor had intended to scare them off English for good, only to be challenged by a bright, young student. Her comebacks had baffled him into a five minute long silence and he hadn't been able to scare her away. Quite the opposite. Clara Oswald had come back to his lectures on all other four days as well, fighting him over Jane Austen and Shakespeare and the Doctor had enjoyed it. It had been a nice relief from the timid masses and everyday lectures.

Then, two years later, Clara had once more stepped into his class, a woman now and determined to become a teacher. He could still recall many of the conversations and debates they had had over the course of her undergrad education, especially the one they had had on the day the Doctor had realized that he had a crush on her. He had been her professor and he had had a crush on his student. The Doctor had endured it for a while, he had tried to ignore his feelings for her and his jealousy towards her silly boyfriend in the bow tie, but when they had threatened to get out of hand and get in his way of being a good teacher, the Doctor had packed his bags and headed towards a university far, far away from Clara Oswald.

Now she was back and the Doctor found that not many things had changed for him since he had last seen her. He was just as madly in love as he had been years ago.

The Doctor couldn't say how much time had passed but after a while he could hear heeled footsteps and that was what finally propelled him to move back to his desk and pretend to be busy. A few seconds later Clara stuck her head through the door. She was smiling and carrying a cup of tea and somehow she had gotten rid of Mr Armitage in the meantime.

"So, you're teaching here again, huh?" she asked, only reluctantly stepping inside his office.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Uhm, yeah," he replied, "Starting next week."

With a sigh Clara sank down on the sofa in his office and looked around while the Doctor searched his brain for something to say that wasn't potentially insulting or would make him look like an idiot.

"Sorry about the books in your office. I thought it was unused. I'll get rid of them," he said and quickly reached for his own mug to have a sip just for the sake of having something to do.

"Take your time. I don't have that much stuff yet. They're not in the way."

Even though he wasn't looking in her direction the Doctor was painfully aware that Clara was staring at him and it unsettled him massively. Somehow he would have to find a way to get used to it. They had to work next to each other now after all. Unless. . .

Unless he decided to act on his feelings and asked her out like a normal man would. Clara wasn't his student any longer, she was a colleague. Going out with a colleague wasn't such a bad thing.

"You just left," Clara said after a moment and finally the Doctor looked at her, only to realize that he had no idea what she was talking about.

"It was the middle of the semester. One day you were there and the next you were gone," she continued and the tone in her voice told him that she still felt confusion over that.

"I got a better offer," he replied blatantly. It was a lie, but he could hardly tell her the truth.

"In the middle of the year?" Clara raised an eyebrow at him.

"What about you?" the Doctor asked, putting on a smile and trying to divert the subject. Away from him. Away from that confusing time when he had battled his unrequited love for his student. He had gone half insane because of her. "Teaching here now?"

Clara nodded, smiling. "I worked as a school teacher the past few years and just recently got my PhD. I thought I'd move on, try the next step up."

"So you're Dr Oswald now?" he smirked, "Impressive. I always thought you'd go down that path."

"What can I say? I had a good teacher," Clara beamed at him, but suddenly her face grew stern, "Before he ran off."

"Sorry," he mumbled and lowered his gaze again.

He heard Clara rise from the sofa, but he was too afraid to look at her. "Well, time to get settled in before classes start on Monday. I see you've already spread your usual chaos."

The Doctor's head instantly shot up, ready to protest. "Hey!"

Clara giggled. "You're not my professor anymore. I can speak to you like that now."

The Doctor growled in reply, remembering that she had always spoken to him like that and it was silly to believe she would change, but when she attempted to leave the room he suddenly wasn't so eager to let her go any longer. He should do it. He should ask her out.

So he rose from his chair and cleared his throat again, his heart suddenly beating even faster at the prospect of what he was about to do. "Would you. . . uhm. . . maybe," he broke off, groaning. His hands were trembling. He couldn't do it. He was such a coward when it came to Clara. A coward and an idiot.

"Would I what?" she asked, that bright smile still stuck on her face. Clara liked him, the Doctor knew that much. He just had to ask her out to test just how much she liked him.

"Would you like to go out tonight?" he blurted out, "For a meal. I mean, dinner, sort of. With me."

Suddenly the smile faded from Clara's face and was replaced by something else, something he didn't quite understand, before her eyes grew wider. "Oh, I'm sorry," she uttered instantly, "I'm going out with my fiancé tonight to celebrate the new job. But hey, we're colleagues now, we can go out any time, right?"

The Doctor swallowed hard, his heart sinking into his boots. Fiancé. Of course she was engaged. Why should he have any kind of luck for once?

"Doctor?"

"Yes," he said quickly and turned towards his desk, rearranging his papers just to look busy, just to not let her think he was disappointed in any way, "Yes, of course. There's no hurry. Have fun with the fiancé. Is it still the bow tie guy?"

"No," Clara replied, "It's a teacher from my old school. His name's Danny."

"Well, have fun with Danny," the Doctor told her brusquely and picked up the keys. He couldn't look at her, not after this. "I'm leaving now. See you next week."

Before Clara even had a chance to reply the Doctor rushed out of the door, away from her. He couldn't possibly stay in her presence for another second and he had no idea how he was going to survive this year when he was still so much in love with that impossible girl.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much for the first reviews :) Glad you've liked it so far. And now, on to Clara's side of the story. . ._

 **Chapter 2**

As soon as the Doctor had darted out of the room Clara inhaled deeply and leaned back against the nearest wall, only now remembering how to breathe. But she had done well, hadn't she? The Doctor probably hadn't noticed just how much of a nervous wreck she had been and now that he was gone she could finally get her heartbeat back under control.

As soon as Mr Armitage had listed a few names of her fellow teachers while showing her around the building, Clara had almost frozen at the mention of the Doctor and instantly started to panic. Clara had been braced for about anything, but not seeing _him_ again, her professor, her Doctor, the man she had had a crush on ever since she had met him. It had been years and Clara hadn't actually thought about him in a long time, but just the mention of his name could still make her heart beat faster. She wasn't over him. Far from it.

So Clara had used the remainder of the tour to brace herself, to mentally prepare herself and it had almost worked. Still she hadn't been able to hide the smile that had come over her face when she had spotted him. The Doctor still looked just as good as she remembered him, maybe even better, his hair a wild mess of silver curls, his chin stubbly. Yes, she definitely still had a crush on him.

And he had asked her out for dinner, the pure thought about it still making her heart race minutes later. How she would have loved to say yes and just spend the evening with her new colleague, but Danny was waiting for her at home. Danny.

" _Fuck_ ," Clara muttered when she glanced at her watch. She was late. _Again._

Hastily she reached for her purse and locked her office door before she rushed out of the building, determined not to be too late to another date.

* * *

"You need to move out," Missy's voice greeted him instantly upon entering the house and the Doctor sighed as he dropped the keys by the door.

"I've been here for three days," he argued and trudged into the kitchen where Missy was sitting the table with a book in her hands. Wordlessly he sank down on the chair next to her, even though he really, really wanted to talk. He needed to get some very important things off his chest and who could he tell them to if not his best friend.

"Yes, three days," she agreed, "And just this morning I stumbled over your boxers in the bathroom. You're a slob."

"You've known that before you let me in."

Finally Missy looked up from her book, eyeing him closely. "You look troubled. Did something happen?" she asked him.

"Clara Oswald," he said simply and leaned back in his chair.

"Oh," his best friend uttered at the mention of the familiar name until her face turned into a frown, "She's not still a student there, is she? I thought you said she was clever."

The Doctor sighed. "She's a teacher now."

"Well, good for you," Missy gave him a nudge, "Go and ask her out. You've liked her for how long? 10 years?"

"I did that. I actually did that. And she is engaged now," he admitted with a heavy heart, "I might as well pack my office now because I'll never be able to work with her."

"Nonsense," Missy made a dismissive waving gesture with her hand, "You're a coward and you will suck it up now. Clara Oswald won't murder you. She's not dangerous. You're just being an idiot and who knows, maybe after working with her for a few weeks you will totally be over it. You can't run away every time the two of you cross paths."

The Doctor growled in reply. "Watch me."

But a part of him didn't even want to run away, not yet anyway. Because the longer he thought about it, the surer he became aware of one detail that had been missing from the earlier picture: Clara's engagement ring.

* * *

Clara was completely out of breath by the time she reached the floor of her flat, but Danny was already waiting by the door. Damn the overcrowded trains. Damn the broken lift.

"I am so, so sorry," Clara uttered instantly and greeted Danny with a short peck on the lips, "I just wanted to stop by my new office to have a look and then got distracted by some new colleagues. I swear, I would have been on time otherwise."

Yet Danny rolled his eyes at her. "You're always late for some reason or another," he complained while Clara unlocked the door.

"I'm still on time for the restaurant. Just let me change my clothes and we're ready to go," she said and already headed towards her bedroom when Danny's voice held her back once more.

"The restaurant, yes," he said, "But in case you've forgotten, we also wanted to browse for houses before that."

"The houses aren't going anywhere, Danny."

"Yes, they are, they're getting sold," he argued.

With a sigh Clara turned back around to face him. He looked so hurt right now that Clara instantly felt overwhelmed by guilt over acting like this. "Danny," she said sweetly and granted him a smile as she approached him and placed both her hands on his shoulders, "I am sorry. We will find a house, but I can't have everything happening in my life at once. This new job is really exciting and also very, very scary for me. It's a huge step and I'm afraid that if we start really getting into this house thing, too, that it's going to be too much to handle at the same time. Do you understand that?"

When Danny's features softened and his shoulders sank a little Clara knew that he did indeed understand. "I just want to live together. That's not such a bad thing, is it?"

"Not at all," she told him with a smile, "But both your place and mine are too small for two people to live in and look at it that way – this job brings in a lot more money and we'll be able to afford a much better place if we just wait for another month or two."

With a defeated sigh Danny nodded. "Can we make a deal?" he asked.

"Sure," Clara agreed.

"I won't bother you with the subject for the next two months but in December we'll start looking in earnest, okay? I would really like a house key under my Christmas tree."

"Okay," she said and went up on her toes to peck him on the cheek, "And now let me get ready or we'll miss the reservation as well."

Clara changed into a nice evening dress as quickly as possible and combed her hair once more before she emerged from the bedroom again to find Danny in front of the telly. For a moment she considered suggesting to stay home and just binge watch TV shows, but she had already learned that Danny took their date night quite seriously. Otherwise she would have ditched him an hour ago and gone out with the Doctor instead.

"I'm ready," she announced happily and turned in a circle for him to get a good look at her and, sure enough, a smile spread over Danny's face.

"Well, not quite ready," he argued.

"Why? What's missing?" Clara asked in confusion.

"Ehm, the ring?" Danny said in mock amusement.

Clara froze on the spot. Of course. Her engagement ring. How could she have forgotten about that?

She instantly started cursing herself internally. She loved the look of that ring and she loved that Danny had asked her to marry him and yet the ring itself was a nuisance. It was too big and always started bugging and annoying her minutes after she had put it on, but Clara was nothing if not determined. She kept trying, hoping that one day she would get used to the feeling of it on her hand, but at some point she always had to take it off. And she had no idea where she had left it.

"Aren't you gonna get it?" Danny asked her, his voice now a little suspicious.

"Sure," Clara laughed nervously, "I'll get it right away."

And yet she didn't move. Because if she went into the bedroom to get it and it wasn't there Danny would know. And then they would fight again.

"Clara?" he frowned at her. The suspicion was definitely there now. "Do you not know where it is?"

Clara laughed, scoffing. "Of course," she replied instantly, "Of course I know. It's, uhm, it's in my bedroom. Just took it off to put on some hand balm. I'll be back in a sec."

" _Please be there, please be there, please, please, please_ ," Clara muttered under her breath once she had turned around and made her way back into the bedroom and she almost sighed in relief when she saw the piece of jewellery actually lying on her bedside table.

"Got it!", Clara called into the living room as she put that damned thing back on her hand. It was annoying her already. "We're ready to go."

With a sigh she reached for her coat and vowed to herself that this time she would try very hard not to take it off again. But one thing was for certain: she probably wouldn't be elected girlfriend of the month any time soon.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for the reviews, guys! So, the Doctor and Clara feel the same. How long, do you think, before they realize this?_

 **Chapter 3**

Clara went to work on Monday morning with a really good feeling. Teaching at the university had been her dream for years and now, after a lot of work and many sleepless nights, it had finally come true. Now she would step out of school and teach people who actually wanted to be taught and the best thing above all – the Doctor was now her colleague. Clara had been looking forward to seeing him again all weekend, knowing that his presence would make the transition so much easier for her. The Doctor had always had a sympathetic ear for her problems, helped her out when she had struggled with a subject and Clara didn't have the slightest doubt that he would want to continue to be her mentor. She had loved spending time with him back then, and not just because she had been undeniably crazy about him, so why should it be any different now?

The Doctor's office was still empty when she peered inside, so Clara decided to start the work day with a nice cup of tea from the staff kitchen where a young woman with long, red hair was already inside, stirring her beverage when Clara walked in.

The redhead turned around, smiling. "You're new here this year, aren't you?"

Clara nodded enthusiastically. She felt a little nervous now that her classes were about to start.

"I'm Amy Pond," the redhead introduced herself, shaking Clara's hand, "History department."

"I'm Clara Oswald," she replied. Clara had completely forgotten that this building didn't just hold the English department, but history as well. Then again, it seemed like a reasonable mix of subjects to put together and Amy made a nice, first impression.

"Don't worry, it's gonna be fine," she suddenly told her.

Clara couldn't help but laugh. "Do I look so nervous?"

"Not at all," Amy replied, smiling broadly while she took her mug in both her hands, "But I know I was when I started here last year. I'll see you around, I guess?"

"Absolutely," Clara agreed happily and while Amy left the kitchen she started to prepare her own cup of tea.

When she stepped back into her office she couldn't help but notice that the Doctor had arrived in the meantime and was sitting behind his desk, scribbling something into his notebook. And she also noticed that an electric guitar had been added to his office décor.

"Are you teaching music now, too?" Clara asked and when he looked up she nodded towards the guitar.

The Doctor seemed a little baffled at first, just like he had last week when they had first met again after so many years. Then it finally seemed to dawn on him. "Oh, no," he laughed, "But I'm currently staying with a friend and I am forbidden to use it at home."

"Fair enough," she giggled, trying to imagine her former professor with a guitar. It seemed a little ludicrous. But then again, he was full of surprises.

"What's your first class?" he suddenly asked her and Clara took a deep breath as she approached his desk.

"Jane Austen," she smiled proudly at him. Oh, the hours they had already spent discussing her, only to realize that they simply couldn't agree.

The Doctor snorted. "You don't know a thing about Jane Austen."

"I know more than you," she argued.

Finally he smiled. "Possibly, yeah."

"What's your first class?"

The Doctor leaned back, shifting in his seat. "Beat Generation."

"Bit modern," she commented.

He laughed again, that sweet, shy laugh that always made him seem a little boyish. Yes, maybe he did look even better now than he had back then. His hair definitely was better. To Clara it looked incredibly soft, however she would probably never find out if it felt as soft as it seemed. "To be honest, talking about Ginsberg is just an excuse to swear at my class."

"That sounds more like you," she said and suddenly remembered something. He had asked her out for dinner last week. Would he still go out with her now? Clara quickly cleared her throat. "So, that offer for dinner. . . does that still stand?"

She took a sip from her tea while he looked at his notes and the Doctor needed a moment to reply. "There's a nice, little sushi bar not far from here. We could go there. . . uhm. . . today? After work?"

When their gaze met again Clara thought that for a moment the Doctor seemed really uncertain, almost shy. "I love sushi. Sounds like a great plan," she replied, smiling, and took another sip of tea.

"So, what about your fiancé? Is he a goner?" the Doctor asked and bent back down, fiddling with some papers.

Clara set her mug down on his desk and frowned at him. "No, he's not. Why do you assume that?" she asked in bewilderment.

"Cause you're not wearing a ring."

Instantly her gaze dropped to her hand and Clara realized to her dismay that she had forgotten her ring. Again. Damn. Where was it this time?

"Oh, it's just. . . too big," Clara lied almost automatically, "I need to get it resized."

"Liar," the Doctor stated plainly while his head shot back up.

She gave a nervous laugh in reply. "What makes you think I'm lying?"

"Because you, Clara Oswald, are a terrible liar," he rose from his seat and circled his desk, his eyes never leaving her, "That homework you said you forgot during your second time taking my Shakespeare class, you didn't do it because you thought it was too easy for you."

"Well, it was too easy," Clara argued angrily, "And I hate my engagement ring! It's bulky and annoying!"

"And you forgot to put it on," the Doctor added.

With a sigh Clara let her shoulders sink. There was no point denying it now. The Doctor knew her way too well for that. "Yeah," she admitted, "I don't wanna forget, but. . . it really is annoying. And I have to get to class now. See you after."

Clara picked her mug back up and went into her own office to gather her paperwork before heading off in the direction of her classroom. About fifteen students were already waiting inside and she guessed that some would still follow, but time was up and she was due to start.

"Good morning, class," she greeted them happily, swallowing her irritation about the engagement ring subject, "How has everyone's semester break been?"

When she looked into the unresponsive faces Clara was greeted by silence and she felt instantly reminded that she was no longer in school. This was uni.

"Where are your manners, guys? Let's hear a good morning."

"Mornin'," the sleepy masses mumbled unenthusiastically and Clara could spot a couple of students rolling their eyes at her.

She swallowed hard, not really knowing what to do next. This was uni. She had been to uni. How had her teachers done it? _Not like this_ , she told herself, _definitely not like this_.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hehe, thank you so much for the reviews :) Now, let's see how that dinner goes, huh?_

 **Chapter 4**

Clara didn't look nearly as happy as she had this morning when she walked back into her office where the Doctor had already been waiting for her, leaning against the door frame that connected their offices.

She would be going out with him and his heart jumped at the pure thought of it. Yes, she was still engaged and she might not fancy him at all, but a little voice told him that maybe she didn't fancy her fiancé so much either. At least not enough to remember her engagement ring. The Doctor knew he shouldn't be happy about that fact, but he was. Oh, but he was. He still had a tiny chance and he was determined to use it as best as he possibly could.

"How was the first day?" he asked curiously while Clara dropped her papers on her desk with a sigh, "Teach anything good?"

When she looked at him the Doctor almost feared that Clara would cancel on him. She didn't just look not happy. She looked extremely exhausted.

"Can we not talk about work?" Clara asked back, "I mean, not about my classes. We can talk about yours. I'd love to hear about yours."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Didn't go so well?"

With a groaned Clara leaned back against her desk. "They hated me. All of them," she complained and when her eyes were back on him they were almost pleading, "Please, let's just go to that sushi place now. I'm starving."

"Ready when you are," he beamed at her and something about that seemed to make her smile. If he could make her smile, that was worth something.

Her spirits lifted visibly as soon as they were out of the building and walking in the direction of the restaurant even though they talked very little and only about unimportant matters, but the Doctor caught her smiling a couple of times when their eyes met. Maybe he could still make that horrible first day a little better for her.

"So," he began when they took a seat at the back of the cosy restaurant, "You really don't want to talk about it?"

With a sigh Clara raised her head, letting her gaze wander around the room. The restaurant was elegant, yet simple, just like the Doctor remembered it. He had come here a couple of times all those years ago, but never before with Clara. A small waitress stopped by their table, handing each of them a menu, while the Doctor ordered sake for them both. Once she had left, he raised his eyebrows at Clara again, reminding her that he still hadn't gotten an answer to his question.

She uttered a soft groan in reply. "It went terribly. Or even worse than that. I have no idea what I was thinking when I decided to teach at uni. Why did I think it was a good idea?" Clara blurted out, her eyes wide when she looked at him and when he realized just how miserable she seemed, the Doctor couldn't help but laugh.

"Did I ever tell you about my first day?" he chuckled.

"No?" she asked sheepishly.

Still he laughed when he leaned back in his seat, the memory of it a little fuzzy after all those years, but no less hilarious in retrospect.

"They threw their books at me," he explained and watched as Clara's eyes widened either in shock or surprise.

"Their books?" she gawked at him, "And what did you do?"

The Doctor gave a light shrug of his shoulders. "I stormed out," he said plainly, "And the week after I collected all of their books at the beginning of class. Then they threw their folders, I collected them as well. By the end of the first month they had nothing to take notes on and then I had them take a test, which everyone failed. They respected me a little more after that."

He smiled at her and to his relief Clara smiled back at him, obviously regaining some of her hope. The waitress returned with the wine, setting a glass down in front of each of them and taking their order for the food before she vanished through a door in the back.

"I think it's always a little tough to be the new one, it takes a while before they realize they can learn a lot from you – and that that's what they're here for," the Doctor told her, taking a large sip from the wine, "I don't have the slightest doubt that you can do it."

Clara drank from her sake and sighed when she set the glass back down. "I hope so," she said but then the smile was back on her face when she came to look at him, "But let's bury that subject now. How have you been all these years?" she asked sincerely.

The Doctor leaned back once more and took a deep breath. "Good, I think," he said, "I taught in Oxford and Glasgow, it was good."

"But now you're back," Clara remarked with a smirk as she took another sip of wine.

"Yeah," he agreed, "Now I'm back."

He noticed that Clara's phone buzzed next to her on the table, but she merely glanced at it before turning her attention back towards him. Again there was this smirk on her lips that made him feel as if she was up to no good at all.

"So, now that you're not my professor anymore," she began cautiously, "How about you tell me your first name? Every professor and lecturer made theirs public on the website, all except you. Why's that?"

The Doctor cleared his throat and briefly glanced away. His name was one of his best kept secrets along with his crush for his former student. Hardly anyone knew it. "The Doctor," he replied.

Clara laughed in response. "Your first name can hardly be _the Doctor._ "

"My first name is nobody's business," he retorted, frowning at her.

"Is it something embarrassing?" she giggled, "It is, isn't it? It's something like Hugo or Ragnarök.

"It most definitely isn't," the Doctor protested harshly, "Ragnarök? Seriously?"

"Then tell me," Clara coaxed him, still laughing.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, knowing that Clara would never again take him seriously if she knew his name because it was, in fact, a little bit embarrassing. "No," he said simply.

"Fine," she replied, "I'm a patient woman. I'll figured it out eventually."

The waitress came back, setting their plates down in front of them and the Doctor instantly reached for a chopstick, sticking it right in the middle of a piece of sushi that he stuffed into his mouth. It was a delicious as he remembered it, but then suddenly Clara's laughter tore him out of his thoughts.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Eating," he replied, his mouth still full, "It's good."

"Yeah, but-" she broke off, still laughing, "Nevermind."

"You can use chopsticks the way you like, I use them the way I like," he said but was interrupted by the continuous buzzing of her phone that Clara kept ignoring, "Aren't you gonna answer that?"

"Later," Clara said and the way she spoke made him feel as if the person on the other end annoyed her with their text messages, "It's my boyfriend. He probably just wants to know about my day."

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her. "Don't you mean fiancé?"

When Clara raised her head towards him she looked as if she had been caught and the Doctor realized to his delight that she truly wasn't as crazy about him as she should be. Maybe, with a bit of luck, that man would be out of her life sooner rather than later.

"The fiancé thing is quite new," she confessed, "I haven't really adjusted to it yet."

Still the Doctor threw her a questioning glance, prompting her to go on. Clara simply growled, dropped the chopsticks and glared at him, even though the Doctor knew that this look wasn't meant for him.

"Danny proposed on the London Eye with fifteen other people around. I couldn't just say no," Clara argued angrily, "And I do love him, so I guess it's not that bad we're engaged now. It would have happened sooner or later."

The Doctor flinched at her words about her fiancé, the jealousy stinging just a little, but he knew that he shouldn't give up hope just yet. Something about Danny bothered Clara and he would do the thing he had never thought he would do. The Doctor would bide his time and wait because maybe, just maybe, he would have a little bit of luck for once. And for now he decided to just enjoy her company. He had run away last time and he wouldn't do it again. Having Clara around brought a light into his life that he had missed so much these last few years. Clara had said that she was a patient woman, well, he could be patient as well if he wanted to be.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"To the lady's place first," the Doctor said to the taxi driver and after giving him her address Clara leaned back into the seat and breathed in deeply.

It was close to midnight already and she knew she would be tired the next morning, but certainly without regrets. They had stayed at the restaurant until closing time, just talking and drinking wine and Clara had once more become aware that her feelings for her former professor had never really gone away. There was something about the Doctor that simply drew her in. He made her laugh simply by being himself and she felt comfortable around him to the point that she found it impossible to lie about anything, even Danny. She had lied to her friends and family about her excitement over the proposal, but not the Doctor. He just saw right through her.

Clara turned her head and watched the Doctor in the light of the passing street lamps for a moment, hating the space that was left between them. Even though it was wrong, even though she was engaged and loved Danny, even though the Doctor would never feel the same about her, a part of her wanted to get closer, to touch him if only for a moment. Maybe run her hands through that silver hair or feel his chest beneath her palm.

"Are you feeling better?" the Doctor suddenly asked, tearing Clara straight out of her dreams.

"Better?" she asked back, a little baffled. Clara had no idea what he was referring to.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "You seemed pretty beaten up about your students."

Yes. Yes, she had. Right before the matter had completely slipped her mind in his presence. "Oh, yeah," Clara replied and put on a smile, "Yeah. Thanks for cheering me up."

A broad grin spread over the Doctor's face when he looked at her. "We should do that again some time."

Clara giggled in reply. "Only if you learn how to properly handle chopsticks. Otherwise I'll insist on Italian," she said and nudged him softly. The Doctor flinched a little under her touch, but when he came to look at her again there was something in his gaze. . . something. . .

Then the taxi stopped and Clara realized to her own dismay that they had arrived at her apartment complex. She was tired and yet she didn't really want this evening to end. After so many years the Doctor was finally back and she had to resist the urge to ask him to come upstairs with her for another cup of tea to continue their earlier debate. Yet at the same time Clara was fully aware of just how bad that idea was. The wine was still coursing through her head a little too much and once she was alone with him she might actually do something she would regret. Clara wasn't really keen on embarrassing herself in front of the Doctor and embarrassing it would be if she suddenly decided to make a pass at him.

"Well, thanks for the lovely evening," Clara said instead.

The Doctor smiled. "Thanks for the lovely company. Even though you're wrong about Yeats."

"We'll establish that later," she determined and opened the car door to get out, "I'll see you tomorrow."

When Clara unlocked the door to her flat she suddenly felt the phone in her pocket vibrate again, reminding her of one other thing that had slipped her mind completely.

"Oh shit," she mumbled and instantly started searching for the device. She had forgotten about Danny. She had forgotten to text him. He would be furious.

"I am the worst girlfriend ever and I do not deserve a man like you," she blurted out once she had answered the call, "I am so sorry. I should have sent a text."

"Right," Danny replied after a moment, "All of that is basically right."

"Sorry," Clara apologized again, "I went out for dinner with my new colleagues. I meant to call after but I hadn't expected we'd stay at the restaurant until closing. I'm sorry."

When Danny didn't reply at first Clara sank down on her sofa, waiting for him to respond, waiting to see how mad he really was. And he took a long, long moment.

"I just wanted to ask how your first day went, that's all," he said eventually.

"It went well," Clara lied. She would tell Danny the whole story the next time she saw him, but right now she really didn't feel like going over the entire day once more. She had discussed it with the Doctor already, all of it. "Students are different. Colleagues are great. It's all fine."

She heard Danny sigh on the other end of the line. "That's good to hear. I was starting to get worried when I didn't hear from you."

"No need. And I really am sorry about not calling. I swear, next weekend, when we go out, it'll be on me and I'll tell you everything in detail."

"Fine," he uttered after a moment, "You've had a busy day. That's alright."

"You are the best and I don't deserve you," Clara said, smiling to herself. She really didn't. Danny was sweet and loving and the best boyfriend she had ever had and some days she felt really bad for treating him so poorly at times. She loved him, but Danny had never been her priority in life. Maybe she should change that.

"Are you wearing the ring?" he suddenly asked her.

Clara stared down at her empty hand and instantly felt another pang of guilt. Tomorrow she would try, _really_ try.

"Yeah, of course," Clara lied, her voice sounding slightly higher than usual, "It's right here on my finger where it belongs."

"Curious," Danny said, sounding a little harsh, "Cause I found it in my bathroom yesterday after you've had a shower."

Clara inhaled sharply, for a moment not knowing what to say to him after she had so obviously been caught. Her first instinct was to apologize once more, but she knew just how hollow that would sound after her blatant lie.

"We'll talk about it next weekend," Danny said a short moment later, "Good night, Clara."

"Good n-" Clara tried to say but Danny had already hung up.

With a heavy heart she rose to her feet and trudged off into the bathroom. There was nothing she could do from here, so Clara would just have to make an extra effort the following weekend.

* * *

As soon as the Doctor stepped into the house his feet got caught in something on the floor. He tried his best to regain his balance, to find something to hold on to, but failed, and seconds later the Doctor tumbled towards the floor and landed with a loud thud.

"Ow," he growled and reached down to find the source of his little accident.

"Serves you right!" Missy's voice came from the living room just when his hands had found the offending item – a pair of his own underpants. Of course. Missy had left them there in an attempt at revenge after finding them on the bathroom floor.

With a sigh he grabbed the pants and scrambled back to his feet, his knee hurting as he made his way into the living room.

"Not nice," he grumbled when he fell down on the sofa next to Missy, but soon he became aware that she was watching him intently, her eyebrows raised.

"You're home late," she commented.

The Doctor couldn't help it. A smile spread over his face as soon as he thought about the evening, that wonderful evening he had spent with Clara, having dinner with her, laughing, talking about literature. The butterflies in his stomach were still going haywire.

"I love her," he said, still grinning. He was probably looking like an idiot right now, but that didn't matter. He had spent the entire evening with Clara. At first it hadn't gone so well at all, but after she had gotten over the disaster of her first day and after he had realized that she was deliberately ignoring her boyfriend, the mood had shifted. They had talked and talked, just like in the old days, and Clara had turned out to be even smarter and wittier than he had remembered her.

"Are you _drunk_?" Missy frowned at him.

"No, just crazy about Clara," he sighed happily and sank deeper into the cushions, "Okay, maybe a little drunk from the wine. We had dinner. It was great."

"Didn't you say she was engaged?" his friend enquired curiously.

"She is, but that won't last. He's not the one for her," the Doctor said dreamily and turned to look at Missy, "You'll see."

Still she didn't seem convinced, but whatever Missy was thinking, the Doctor interrupted her before she could speak up.

"Don't say it," he told her, slowing rising back to his feet, "Let me be happy for a moment."

And happy he was. The Doctor felt oddly light as he made his way to the guest bedroom, whistling a little melody on his way. A whole evening with Clara Oswald. The universe was on his side this time, he was sure of it.

"You forgot your pants," Missy called after him, but the Doctor didn't care. Not right now. He would throw them in the laundry basket the next morning.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you for the reviews, babes :)_

 **Chapter 6**

When Clara stepped inside her office the following day, hoping for a little bit of warmth, she was utterly disappointed. Temperatures had dropped over night, plunging below zero for the first time this year, and right now it felt more like the middle of January than October. It was definitely too cold for her taste.

She immediately approached the radiator, only to realize that it was cold as well, which probably explained the indoor temperature. She cursed loudly.

"That won't do any good."

Clara shot around to see that the Doctor had appeared in the door way, wrapped in a warm jumper and hoodie, both of which seemed absolutely cosy. He granted her an apologetic smile.

"Mr Armitage stopped by earlier. They're working on fixing the heating," he explained, "I guess they didn't really expect it to get so cold so soon."

"I don't think anyone did," she sighed and just the thought of taking her coat off made her shiver.

Suddenly the Doctor waved at her to follow him and vanished inside his office, Clara carefully trailing after him. She watched him bend over his couch and a few moments later the Doctor produced another jumper from behind it.

Clara raised her eyebrows. "Are you stacking your clothes here?" she asked curiously, "I'm starting to get the feeling you actually live in your office."

When the Doctor turned around he glared at her. "I don't live in my office," he replied, holding the jumper in her direction, "Here, that's my warmest one. You can't walk around in your coat all day."

"Does that have holes?" Clara attempted to ask but was silence when the Doctor simply threw the jumper at her. She caught it at the last moment. "Thanks," she muttered and started opening the buttons of her coat despite the temperature.

Even though Clara hated to admit it, the jumper was incredibly warm and comfortably oversized over her dress and above all she loved the smell that clung to it, that wonderful smell of a man's aftershave. The Doctor had great taste.

"I'm gonna grab a cup of tea. Do you want one?" she asked him, burying her hands in the long sleeves.

"Tea sounds great," the Doctor replied. And then he smiled at her, nodding in her direction. "It suits you."

"Thanks," Clara beamed at him, "In that case I guess I'll keep it."

Grinning to herself, Clara made her way into the staff kitchen and switched on the kettle before she brought her nose back to the fabric of the jumper she was wearing and sighed. She really liked that smell. Then suddenly Amy tore her out of her thoughts when she entered the kitchen, grumbling a good morning, followed by a rant about the cold that Clara couldn't help but agree to.

Then, five minutes later and armed with two steaming mugs, Clara walked back into the Doctor's office, only to find it a lot less quiet than it had been before. The Doctor was standing in front of his record player and a song from the 70s was blasting through the speakers.

"What's going on?" Clara asked, laughing, "Are we having a party?"

The Doctor twirled around, grinning broadly. "Yes," he replied and made a few moves that might have been dancing, or an attempt to pray to the old Rain God, "A warm-up party."

He danced around his desk and Clara was torn between whipping out her phone to film it and tell him to stop. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look?" Clara giggled.

"Yes," the Doctor said enthusiastically, "But at least I'm not cold."

He had a point, Clara couldn't deny that, but when he held out his hand to her, Clara hesitated. If a student walked in on them dancing to _New York Groove_ , she would have to find a new university to teach at because they would never take her seriously. But then a wall of cold air blew in her direction, making her shiver, and Clara made a decision.

Slowly she started to move to the rhythm, trying not to think about how silly they looked, dancing in his office, and the Doctor smiled broadly at her. He didn't care that he was making a fool out of himself in front of her and it did help with the cold, so Clara decided to put in a bit of an effort and just go along with it.

She reached for the Doctor's hand and he twirled her around, making her laugh in the process while he invented one silly move after the other.

"You are the worst dancer I've ever met," Clara raised her voice over the music, still laughing and tapping her feet to the rhythm.

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "You're not exactly Ginger Rogers either."

Clara giggled, the situation making her insanely happy for some reason. They were in his office, at 7.40 in the morning, dancing to a silly 70s song and it made her happy. She spun around once more, smiling to herself, when suddenly Clara spotted a figure in the door way and came to an abrupt halt.

"Danny," Clara blurted out right as the song ended, "What are you doing here?"

He just stood there for a moment, his eyes wandering from Clara to the Doctor and then back to her, the confusion written all over his face and Clara couldn't exactly blame him. God knows how silly they must have looked.

"I stopped by to give you your ring back," he said after a moment, "What's going on here? What are you wearing?"

"The heating went out, so we were trying to stay warm. The Doctor lent me his jumper," Clara explained.

Danny's face turned into a deep frown. "The Doctor?"

"Yes," she put on a smile, "My former professor. The Doctor. Doctor, this is Danny Pink, my fiancé."

Once she had finished introducing them to each other Danny reluctantly stepped forward and extended his hand. The Doctor, on the other hand, seemed anything but keen to shake it for some reason, but still did after a moment of hesitation.

"The famous Doctor," Danny muttered, "Do you have a name, too?"

"No," he replied blatantly.

Clara couldn't help but notice the strange hostility between the two men and she didn't need a lot of imagination to guess what Danny was thinking. He remembered that night at the party a couple of years ago and she didn't have a single doubt that he would bring it up sooner rather than later.

"Let's go into my office," she suggested carefully and took Danny by the arm, leading him through the door and closed it behind the two of them.

"You didn't have to come all the way just to bring me the ring," Clara said once they were alone, "It's sweet, but I would have stopped by after work to pick it up."

Danny let his gaze wander around the room before he looked at her. "I wanted to see your new office," he explained, "And meet your colleagues. You haven't mentioned that the Doctor is back."

"He is," Clara admitted sheepishly, giving him a smile, "And, like I said, it's really sweet that you came."

" _He_ 's the professor you had a crush on?" Danny stared at her in disbelief.

Clara rolled her eyes at him. She had known he would bring it up. "Danny, please," she laughed, "It's been years since I said that and I was drunk when we played that stupid game and the party. And you laughed about my answer if I remember correctly."

She heard him sigh. "Yeah. Yeah, I did," he admitted and spread his arms with a smile while Clara approached him for a hug, "He's a little too old for you anyway."

"Mh-mh," she replied, closing her arms around him in a tight hug, "And now give me my ring back. And some glue."

"Glue?" Danny asked, chuckling.

"Yeah, so it doesn't come off again," she replied with a smile.

"Fine, glue it is," Danny released her from the embrace and reached into his pocket, pulling out a little box. A few moments later he placed the ring back on her finger. Clara could have sworn that there was something itchy about the piece of jewellery, like an old, knitted jumper.

"See you tonight?" he asked before he bent down and pecked her on the lips.

"Yes," Clara replied with a smile, "Tonight at your place."

Once Danny had left her office and Clara was sure that he wouldn't come back in, she pulled the ring off her finger and slipped it into her pocket. Tonight she would tell him. She would tell him that she hated it.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you for the sweet reviews!_

 **Chapter 7**

Clara was more than desperate for a cup of tea after her class had finished. It hadn't been as bad as the day before, but still Clara got the impression that her students didn't actually take her seriously. There had to be something she could do about that.

The staff kitchen was already occupied by Amy, who was bent over the sink and washing her mugs, and Clara didn't hesitate.

"Do you wan some help with that?" she asked, already rolling up her sleeves when she joined Amy at the sink.

The other teacher granted her a friendly smile, handing her the first cup to dry. "So, who was that hunky man I saw leaving your office this morning?" Amy asked curiously, a smirk on her face.

"That was Danny, my boyfriend," Clara replied and swiftly felt the need to correct herself, "Fiancé. Sorry. That part is still kinda new."

To her surprise Amy chuckled in response. "Don't worry about it. My husband constantly had to remind me of that, too, after we got engaged. I was afraid he would leave me before the wedding if I kept that up."

Suddenly Clara's attention was caught and she looked up at her colleague. "How long did it take you to get used to it?" she enquired cautiously.

Amy handed her another mug to dry and shrugged. "I don't think I've ever really gotten used to it. We've been married for two years now and it still feels strange to call Rory my _husband_. I was a terrible girlfriend and fiancé to him. I kept postponing the wedding because I didn't feel ready."

"I am a terrible fiancé, too. I don't even wanna wear the ring. It's annoying the hell out of me," she admitted sheepishly, "How did you know when you were ready to actually get married?"

Again Amy shrugged. "I can't really say. But I kept thinking about something I had read in a book and it said 'Don't get married unless you cannot live happily without that person'. I guess at some point I realized that I couldn't possibly imagine myself happy without Rory, so I did it. And I haven't regretted it. . . much," she laughed and pulled the plug from the sink, not even waiting for the water to get properly drained before she made her way towards the exit, "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Clara breathed absent-mindedly, her thoughts again with Danny. She loved him. But she also knew that she would probably find happiness without him in her life.

Clara quickly brushed the thought aside. They weren't married yet and maybe one day she would realize that she really couldn't be happy without him. But before that happened she would hopefully get a different engagement ring.

With the tea in her hand she made her way into her office, determined to prepare for tomorrow's classes as best as she could. Before Clara settled behind her desk she glanced into the Doctor's office, but it was empty. She figured that he was probably still teaching and would show up before she left her office.

However the Doctor didn't return before she had finished her preparations, even though Clara had hoped she could thank him for lending her his jumper once more, but there was no sigh of him anywhere. So Clara simply took off the jumper and folded it neatly before placing it on the sofa where he could find it. Maybe she could bring some biscuits to work tomorrow to say thank you. She would think of a nice thing to do for him in return.

* * *

The Doctor didn't feel like going back to his office, even though he had left some of his papers in there that he would need to prepare for his classes, but he didn't want to run into Clara right now. He would just go to work early the next day. Anything except looking at Clara.

Meeting Danny was something the Doctor should have known might happen one day, but he hadn't expected it quite yet. And it had made his situation all too plain to him. Clara was engaged. Danny was, and the Doctor hated to admit that, not bad looking and above all he was her own age. He would never stand a chance and that thought tugged at his heart. Everything had been so nice and then Danny had showed up.

The Doctor let himself into the house with a sigh and found Missy at her laptop, obviously still working.

"I've got a few properties that might interest you. Nice flat in Soho, little house in Shepherd's Bush," his friend said without looking up from her laptop. The Doctor had been right. She was still working.

"I'm fine right here, living with my best friend," the Doctor said dryly when he sank into the cushions.

"I'd be fine if my best friend did the dishes from time to time," Missy replied, still busy typing something into her laptop.

With a growl the Doctor rose back to his feet. He had had a bad day already, washing the dishes could hardly make it any worse after his disappointment with Clara.

When he sank his hands into the warm soap water, the Doctor blocked Danny Pink from his mind and instead revoked the memory of Clara and himself dancing, of how she had laughed, how his skin had tingled when she had touched his hand. He was doomed. So doomed.

* * *

A lovely smell of home made food hung in the air when Clara entered Danny's flat, the table was already set and a couple of candles were burning here and there. Clara smiled at the sight of it, although her guilty conscience kicked in almost immediately. Even after she had acted so terribly, even after forgetting her engagement ring again, which was now back on her finger where it belonged, itching like crazy, Danny was still the sweetest man she could possibly wish for. Clara didn't even know what she had done to deserve him.

"Hello beautiful," Danny said and kissed her lips briefly before he smiled at her, "Did you have a nice, second day?"

"Yeah," Clara lied once again. Why couldn't she just tell him that her students were rude and disrespectful and she felt like she was failing at her job? "What about you?"

"Courtney Woods," Danny replied simply.

Clara rolled her eyes. "Say no more," she said. Courtney Woods was the one student she would certainly not miss.

Then Danny reached for her hand and Clara had almost pulled away at the contact. Her finger was still itching under that ring and his touch felt close to painful. She needed to tell him. She needed to tell Danny that she hated the ring.

"Clara, what happened to your hand?" he suddenly asked, raising her hand to have a look at it.

She hadn't even been aware of anything other than the annoying, burning itch, but now that Danny had drawn her attention back to her ring finger, Clara saw that it was bright red and covered in hives.

"Is that from the ring?" he asked, pulling it off immediately to have a closer look at her skin. The moment the ring was gone Clara felt relieved, even though her finger and the area around it still looked horrible.

"Oh no," she uttered, staring at the sore spots, "I think so. I thought it was just my imagination. It kept itching, but I thought I just needed to get used to it."

Danny gently caressed the hives with his fingertips, taking another good, long look at her hand before he sighed audibly. "We'll get you a different ring. You're probably allergic to it for some reason. Are you sensitive when it comes to silver?"

Clara frowned at him in reply. "Not that I know of," she said, but failed to be sad about the recent development. In fact, the rash couldn't have come at a better time. She wouldn't have to wear the damn ring ever again.

Again Danny bent forward and pecked her on the cheek. "I'm so sorry, darling. I'm sorry I made you wear it. I promise we'll get you a new one as soon as the rash is gone."

Clara granted him a soft smile in response. If it was up to her, the rash could take its time.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you for the sweet comments :) I'm glad we all agree on Danny. But how is the Doctor going to win her over?_

 **Chapter 8**

The Doctor had planned to get some actual work done and not improvise yet another class, but when he stepped inside his office he found that the light was already on next door. Carefully he peeked around the corner and spotted Clara at her desk, bent over several books. She looked sad somehow, stressed, and the Doctor feared that maybe she didn't enjoy her new job as much as she had thought she would – which was rubbish. Clara was born to teach at a university. She just needed a bit of time to get used to it and the Doctor was determined to help her as best as he could. Because he didn't want her to leave. Because he wanted to keep her around. Just looking at her made his heart beat a little faster and he would give about anything to put a smile on her face. She just couldn't leave.

The Doctor knocked hesitantly and finally Clara looked up, smiling when she saw him.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" he asked her quietly and in response Clara nodded towards a mug on her table. "Oh, okay."

"You can join me though," she suggested happily and suddenly reached under her table, producing a big box of biscuits, "Brought you some sweets as thanks for lending me your jumper yesterday. You still like biscuits, right?"

The Doctor didn't even hesitate or try to hide the big grin on his face when he stepped into her office and pulled up a chair. He instantly opened one of the packages and bit heartily into one of the chocolate chip biscuits.

"I'm surprised you no longer stack them in your office. You always had some. Unless you're no longer eager to share," Clara cocked an eyebrow at him while the Doctor swallowed.

"Uhm, well, I did," he replied, "I just. . . ate them all."

Clara laughed at his answer and the sound of that made his entire body tingle. He felt jittery all of a sudden. Damn, why couldn't she just be his? Why did she have to be engaged?

Because why wouldn't she? Clara was smart and beautiful. Any man who knew that would try his best to keep her.

"What are you working on?" the Doctor decided to ask in an attempt to stop thinking about how pretty she was, but soon the smile faded from Clara's face.

With a sigh she looked down at her book. "Trying to think of a good essay question. I want to follow your advice. They don't respect me, so I'm going to make them."

"Would you like some help with that?" he asked even though the Doctor knew that he had his own classes to prepare for. But then again, he could always improvise. The smile that appeared on Clara's face once more seemed to be worth it at this moment.

"I'd love some help," she admitted.

"Great. Let me grab a cup of tea and we can get started."

He made an attempt to rise from his seat when suddenly he felt Clara's hand on his own. His heart skipped a beat.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely, still smiling, "You have no idea how happy it makes me that you're back. I feel a little less lost when you're here."

The Doctor smiled at her in reply, but he couldn't find the words to actually say something, not while she was touching him. His thoughts were running haywire and he needed all of his willpower to keep himself from leaning forward and kissing her. Yep, he was so, so doomed.

* * *

Clara took a huge bite off her pizza slice while the Doctor went on telling her about his early days at university and she listened intently, trying to learn as much as she could. The Doctor was a great teacher and even better company. Maybe he was a little crazy, but, if Clara was quite honest, she loved that about him, and she hated to see that they had almost finished their dinner. This time Clara had insisted on Italian and the Doctor hadn't protested at all.

"That is a really mean essay question," Clara commented with a frown when he had finished his story, "You're a very mean professor."

He chuckled. "No, they were just an exceptionally lazy class."

"My Shakespeare class wasn't lazy and you still gave us mean essay questions."

"Yes, but you got an A if I remember correctly," he smiled at her, that sweet, boyish smile. Clara didn't even want to tear her eyes away from him.

Danny had said that the Doctor was too old for her, but if it hadn't been for Danny, Clara wouldn't even care. Yet Danny was real and he was her perfect fiancé. Technically she was doing something wrong by just going out to dinner with the Doctor. She liked him a little too much and being around him seemed like dangerous territory. But then again, she hardly knew anything about him. Not even his name.

"Question," Clara began, beaming at him, "What do I have to do before you tell me your name?"

The Doctor scoffed. "That's never going to happen."

"Is it Dick?" she asked.

"No," the Doctor growled in reply.

"Elmo?"

"No."

"Gaylord?"

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Gaylord? Jesus, where did you get that from?"

Clara laughed in reply and once she had started, she found it hard to stop. It didn't take the Doctor very long to join in and a moment later they were both howling with laughter in the middle of an Italian restaurant. Clara couldn't possibly stop hanging out with the Doctor, not when he made it so easy for her to laugh and just be happy.

Once they had finished their dinner, the Doctor paid for them both, despite Clara's protest, and also offered to call them a taxi – which Clara declined vehemently. A taxi would bring her to her flat in a matter of minutes and she didn't want the evening to end just yet. Once she was at home, the doubts would come back and she would continue to worry about her classes. She just wanted a few more moments of carefree happiness. So instead they decided to walk part of the way.

The Doctor was eerily quiet, just walking next to her, and in a moment of bravery Clara simply reached for his arm. "Thank you," she said.

The Doctor turned to look at her. "For what?"

"I don't know. Everything. Helping me out. Cheering me up. Dinner. Did I mention how glad I am that you're back?" Clara giggled and looked up at him. Again there was something in his gaze that she didn't quite understand, but right now Clara didn't want to waste any time thinking about it.

"I could cheer you up a little more," the Doctor suddenly suggested.

"Oh?" Clara cocked her eyebrow at him.

He cleared his throat and tore his gaze away from her, staring at the pavement ahead of them. "You'll probably think it's silly."

"Try me," she prompted him.

She heard him take a deep breath before he finally spoke. "Well, there's this event at the Dungeon called Midnight Horror. And, to be honest, I've never been to the Dungeon before. It sounds fun. But if you're not into getting scared, then-"

"I'd love to go," Clara interrupted him before he had even finished his sentence. She had no idea what the event was about, but she liked the Dungeon and above all she liked the thought of going there with the Doctor. Anywhere with the Doctor. "When is it?"

"A week from Friday," he explained.

She felt a little pang of guilt even though she hadn't even agreed to it yet. Friday night was her date night with Danny and she really shouldn't cancel on him. But she saw Danny every Friday and on other days of the week as well. Midnight Horror was a one time event. Surely he wouldn't be mad?

"Sounds great," Clara heard herself agreeing, "We'll do that."

She tightened her grip around the Doctor's arm as they walked and Clara sighed happily. If only life could be as easy as it felt at this moment.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you all so, so much for the lovely reviews! I can't tell you how much I appreciate them :)_

 **Chapter 9**

By the end of her first week Clara felt drained, to say the least. Despite the Doctor's attempts to cheer her up and his advice on how to deal with a more mature bunch of students, Clara didn't really feel like it was getting any better. She just didn't have the authority, not like the Doctor, and right now she couldn't even imagine how it had worked before. She felt like she was failing miserably and not even Amy's quite similar stories about her first weeks could make her feel better about it. Clara simply thought she had made a huge mistake and no amount of talking could change that. And above all Danny was waiting for her at his flat and she was anything but in the mood for a quiet dinner at home.

He greeted her with a long, soft kiss and closed his arms around her back, a gesture Clara would have appreciated a lot, yet right now she wasn't at all in the mood for quiet cosiness. She needed to do something to get her mind off university.

"How was your first week?" Danny asked her sincerely.

With a sigh Clara sank down on one of the kitchen chairs. "Stressful," she admitted and looked up at him, "Can we not talk about work right now? Let's go out. I'm in the mood to do something."

Clara beamed at him, but she didn't spot the same enthusiasm on Danny's face.

"I thought we could stay in, watch a movie. I thought about ordering pizza," he told her, "I've been craving pizza for days."

Clara didn't. Not really. Especially because she had eaten pizza with the Doctor just this week, but a part of her knew that mentioning that to Danny would probably not be the wisest idea.

"Okay," Clara sighed in defeat, "Let's do that. But I get to pick the movie."

"Anything you want," Danny bent down and left a kiss on her head, "We can go out next Friday."

It was then that Clara remembered and she felt a little bit guilty about it, yet not enough to cancel her plans with the Doctor.

"About next Friday," Clara bit down on her lip while she gave Danny her best puppy dog eyes, "I may have made plans."

Danny looked at her for a moment, then shrugged to her surprise. "Alright. I suppose we can have our date night on Saturday. Or tomorrow. There's a movie I'd like to see at the cinema."

"Great," she replied with a smile. She would agree to anything to make the guilt go away, "Now order that pizza. I'm starving."

He laughed at her for that and pulled the phone from his pocket. "Those better be good plans though, because originally I had wanted to take you engagement ring shopping after work."

"Yeah, a colleague and I wanted to go to this London Dungeon event," Clara said, attempting to sound casual as she turned the flyer of the delivery service in her hands, pretending to read it. At least she would get to dodge that bullet for a while longer.

"You're going with the Doctor?" Danny's voice has turned from intrigued to mildly concerned and all of a sudden Clara did feel bad about it. She should never have mentioned her crush on the Doctor during that damned game of truth or dare because Danny was obviously still worried about that. Maybe even rightly so.

"No, with a colleague from the history department. Her name's Amy," Clara lied, "She called you hunky, by the way."

Now Danny chuckled again. "Alright, you're more than welcome to go out and have fun with a girl who thinks I'm hunky. Now, what pizza do you want?"

"I'll have the weekly special," Clara said, but her enthusiasm had faded.

She was lying to Danny for no obvious reason. She was lying about her job, about the Doctor, about the ring and even though she knew how bad that was, Clara couldn't find it in her heart to tell him the truth.

* * *

When the Doctor stepped through the front door, he could hear Missy hum a cheerful melody in the kitchen and he knew, he just knew that that was a very bad sign. Carefully he glimpsed around the corner and saw that she was frying an omelette. Not so very suspicious behaviour and yet the Doctor couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Hi?" he asked cautiously.

Missy turned around, smiling broadly at him. "Oh, hello Doctor. Come on in, I'm making dinner."

"I can see that," he replied, eyeing the contents of the pan with suspicion. It seemed like a perfectly harmless omelette, "Also you're in a good mood."

Missy shrugged. "I made a big sale today. Expensive house in Kensington. I could buy this house over from my bonus alone."

"Ah, well, that explains it," he noted with relief.

"So I decided to do something nice for myself and my best friend. Since that best friend is still living with me even though I told him to move out," she added, "I made dinner and I did your laundry."

The Doctor frowned at her. "My laundry?"

"Yeah," Missy confirmed, her attention focused on stirring the contents of the frying pan, "The hamper was full to the brim. Your clothes are outside. Drying."

Ah. There it was. The real reason for her mood. "It's raining," the Doctor said dryly.

"Well, that's hardly my fault, is it?" she threw him a dirty glance while the Doctor headed outside to bring his clothes back in, which by now were completely soaked.

Maybe he should get his own place soon because living with Missy was never meant as a permanent arrangement. He had accepted the university's offer on such short notice that there hadn't been any time to find an actual place to stay, but the Doctor had hoped that she would at least give him a month or two to settle in. And, if he was quite honest, he enjoyed her company. Missy was the closest thing he had to family and he had missed her. Maybe, if he made a bit of an effort, she would allow him to stay for a while longer.

So while Missy was still busy at the oven, the Doctor started setting the table, opened a bottle of her favourite wine and thought of a way to make it up to her for being such a slob most of the time.

"Hey, maybe I could take you out to dinner tomorrow. Or to see a movie," the Doctor suggested after a moment, "You know, to celebrate the Kensington deal."

"That sounds nice," Missy commented, "There is a movie that I'd like to see and you will hate it."

She shoved the first omelette on one of the plates and the Doctor had to resist eating it on the spot. Instead he reminded himself that he wanted to be a nice flatmate and instead waited for Missy to finish the other half of their dinner.

"Fine by me," he said.

"How are things going with Clara? Have you stolen her yet?"

The Doctor couldn't help but smile at the thought of it. He hadn't had a chance to tell Missy the latest news yet. "We will go out next week. Midnight Horror at the London Dungeon."

Missy turned around, giving him a mischievous smile. "Midnight Horror. Oh, you sly dog. She'll cling to you the entire time," she smirked, "That's smart."

The Doctor laughed in reply. "Or I will cling to her, depending on how scary the monsters are. Which would probably not be so very impressive."

"No, it wouldn't," she agreed, her attention back to the frying pan, "You just have to suck it up and be brave if you want to get into young Miss Oswald's knickers."

He frowned at her. "Don't call it that. That's vile."

With a sigh Missy emptied the pan onto the other plate and gave him a shrug. "Honey, we're talking about how you're trying to seduce a much younger woman who is also engaged. Some people would call that vile."

"Point," the Doctor admitted and finally sat down on his chair. It really wasn't a nice thing to do, trying to steal someone else's fiancé, but he had loved Clara for so long that he simply couldn't find it in him to care about that. He wouldn't go down without a fight. Not this time.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you for the sweet reviews!_

 **Chapter 10**

"Seriously?" the Doctor looked up from his ticket and straight into Missy's sneering face.

His friend simply shrugged. "You said you'd treat me to something nice. This is nice. And I've warned you that you wouldn't like the movie."

Damn right he didn't like it. Out of all the good films they were currently showing Missy had to pick the one cheesy chick flick.

"You'll live," Missy tried to cheer him up with a friendly pat on the back, "Besides, you might get some ideas for-"

"Shush!" the Doctor hushed her instantly when his eyes fell on a familiar figure waiting by a door.

Clara.

Clara was here and she spotted him right at that moment. A smile spread over her face, but that only lasted until her eyes had wandered from him to Missy. What should he do? Should he say hello? Of course he should.

"Doctor, there's a woman staring at us. I suppose you are going to introduce us?" Missy tore him out of his thoughts, speaking loud enough for Clara to hear.

"Uhm, hi Clara," he blurted out, sounding a little nervous. He hadn't expected to see her here and he hadn't expected to have to introduce her to Missy.

"Oh, you're the new colleague and his former student," Missy beamed at Clara and instantly reached for Clara's hand to shake, "I'm Missy. The Doctor has told me a lot about you."

Clara looked somewhere between startled and confused. "Hi," she replied breathlessly, glancing from Missy back to him.

"Are you here alone?" the Doctor couldn't help but ask.

"Uhm, no," Clara replied, still sounding a little out of breath, "Danny is fetching us popcorn."

"And I will do the same thing now. Do you want your usual?" Missy asked him.

He tore his gaze away from Clara to look at his friend. "Yeah, sure," he replied before Missy turned her back on them to walk in the direction of the food stand, leaving him alone with Clara.

For some reason she didn't seem so comfortable meeting him here and the Doctor didn't understand why that was. They had gotten along so well during the last week. They were going to go out together on Friday. Would it be this awkward then, too?

"So, what film are you gonna see?" he asked for lack of anything else to say.

Clara sighed. "Oh, uhm, something with robots and aliens. Danny picked it."

The Doctor chuckled. "Wanna switch places?" he asked, "Missy is making me watch some silly rom-con."

He watched as Clara opened her mouth to speak, but she hesitated and a moment later they were both interrupted by a voice that seemed to be familiar to Clara because she looked in the man's direction. When the Doctor turned around, he saw Danny approach them, carrying two large bags of popcorn.

"Hello," Danny greeted him with pretend politeness, nodding towards the Doctor.

"Hi, uhm," he blurted out before his eyes were back on Clara, "Have fun?"

"You too," she breathed and a second later was handed her popcorn. Yet when Danny ushered her away, Clara's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer and the Doctor really didn't understand that look on her face before she eventually turned around and left.

The Doctor blew the air out between his lips, not understanding what was going on at all. Why had Clara been so awkward? Was she uncomfortable with him in public? No, that was silly, they had been out to dinner before. So what on earth-

"I think she might just be into you," Missy's voice tore him out of his thoughts and a second later she held a bag of popcorn in his face.

The Doctor turned around, frowning at her. "What makes you think that?"

"Well," his friend shrugged, "Either she's always that weird or she thought you are on a date with me."

"That's ridiculous," he snorted in reply.

"I know it is," Missy said, "But I'm pretty sure little Miss Oswald doesn't. I think she might have been a tiny bit surprised. And jealous."

"But-" the Doctor attempted to protest, yet he couldn't find a good argument to prove her wrong. If Missy was right, that would mean he had a chance. . .

"You really are thick sometimes," she groaned, "Now let's go. I don't wanna miss the movie."

The Doctor followed his friend reluctantly, unable to stop thinking about Clara and the recent encounter. What if Missy was right? Damn, if she was, he would have to do better. He could get her.

* * *

"You hate it," Danny whispered, the amusement audible in his voice.

Clara was startled when he interrupted her train of thoughts and almost jerked up in her seat when she felt Danny breathe into her ear. She hadn't paid any attention to the movie at all if she was completely honest.

"I don't hate it," she replied harshly. She couldn't hate it because she had no idea what was going on on screen.

Her mind was still back in the foyer and just thinking about it made Clara wish for a hole in the ground to open up and swallow her. She had acted embarrassingly in front of the Doctor earlier, but when she had spotted him on a date with a beautiful, classy woman, Clara just hadn't known what to say to them. The Doctor was on a date and the fact was bugging her immensely, even though she was here on a date as well. She was fully aware that it shouldn't bother her because she was engaged, but it did. Oh, it did bother her a great deal.

"Well, you're grumpy about something," Danny said after a moment, "If you hate it that much, we can leave."

Clara had agreed to the movie simply because of her guilty conscience and right now she regretted agreeing to go to the cinema at all. If they hadn't come here, she wouldn't have known about the Doctor's date. Right now they were probably snuggling up in their seats, watching a romantic comedy, laughing and flirting. The Doctor was the kind of man that would agree to watch a cheesy movie with his date. It shouldn't bother her. But it did. Clara hated herself a little for that.

"Clara?"

"Yes, I'm grumpy and yes, I hate the movie," she hissed sharply and once Clara realized that she had overreacted, she turned her head to look at Danny. Her voice was softer when she spoke. "Sorry. It's just not my thing. Let's finish it and I'll pick the next one, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Danny raised his eyebrows at her, "Cause we can leave."

"No, don't be silly. You want to see it," she sighed, "I'll survive."

He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you. I promise, next time we'll watch something you like. And I will pout the entire time because it's cheesy and silly."

Clara cracked a smile, even though it was forced, and sank back into her seat. Why was she even so agitated about the Doctor's date? She had a fiancé and he was the sweetest man on earth.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you for the reviews!_

 **Chapter 11**

The silence that had spread over her class after her question was beginning to unsettle Clara. It was so quiet that she could swear she heard the breathing of every single student in the room. A piece of paper rustled. A pen clicked. Someone shuffled their feet.

"Anyone?" Clara asked, raising her eyebrows, "Come on, I'm sure at least one of you has read the text. Marcy? James?"

Yet her students all stared down at their non-existent notes.

"You do realize you've got an essay to hand in next week?"

"The essay question is stupid," James complied. He finally raised his head, staring at her. "You didn't even give us a second option to choose from!"

Clara heard some of the others mumbled in agreement. She quickly straightened her back. "That's because I know you can do it," she replied, but instantly realized that her voice lacked authority once more. They were right. She should have given them more options to choose from. Yet she would be damned to admit that right now.

Then suddenly the class was startled by a loud noise coming from the corridor and at first Clara didn't know what to make of it – until she recognized the opening riff of a Queen song. Now she didn't need a lot of imagination to guess what was going on on the corridor.

"Excuse me for a moment," she told her class and turned her back on them, heading outside to see what exactly the Doctor was up to now.

Once she stepped out of the classroom, she spotted him right in front of the door, the guitar slung around his chest and a small but quite loud amplifier hooked to his belt. Clara had almost laughed out loud, if only out of sheer confusion.

"Doctor, what the hell are you doing?" she asked, smiling at him.

The playing stopped and he threw her a wicked grin. "Shout at me," he whispered.

Clara's voice dropped instinctively. "What?" she asked in confusion.

He nodded towards her classroom. "Shout at me. Scold me for making a noise. Make it loud enough so they can hear you."

Even though she wasn't quite sure what was happening or why, Clara began to get an idea about what he was trying to do. She had to refrain from laughing out loud.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Oswald. Was I too loud?" he asked, his voice raised, making sure that the students inside could hear him properly. He made a waving gesture with his hands, telling her to play along.

Alright, if that was what he wanted. "Damn right you were, Doctor!" Clara told him strictly, "I don't even want to know what this thing is doing in this building, but you're going to stop that right now! Some people are here to learn and would like to do so quietly!"

"Good, that's good," he whispered before he raised his voice again. "I am so sorry, Miss Oswald. I promise it won't ever happen again."

Clara smiled at him, almost laughing once more, but she was determined to finish their little play.

"No, it won't, because if it does, I will report you to Mr Armitage. My students have a very difficult essay to prepare for and if they fail because of you, I am going to hold you responsible!"

"Oh, that is really not fair!"

Clara had no idea what to reply to that now, but luckily the Doctor kept the game going.

"Insult me," he whispered, "Come on. Do it."

She inhaled sharply. "Take your guitar and your midlife crisis and butcher Queen somewhere else!"

"Yes," he replied, "Yes, I'll do that. Sorry again, Miss Oswald, it won't happen again. Do you want me to come inside and apologize to your class?"

"No need. You've distracted them for far too long and I don't want you to give them any wrong ideas about Jane Austen."

"Tell them I'm sorry, then," the Doctor said before his voice dropped to a whisper again and he smiled at her, "See you after class?"

"Yes," Clara replied, grinning. He was an idiot, but a very sweet one.

After stepping back inside the classroom, Clara found the entire class suddenly very much alert. She cleared her throat. "The Doctor wants me to tell you that he's sorry about the disruption. He won't ever do that again."

"Did you just shout at the Doctor?" Marcy asked carefully, her eyebrows raised in confusion or awe. Clara couldn't quite tell.

"That's right, I did," she admitted and not without pride, "Now, back to Jane Austen and my previous question."

When James raised his arm to answer the question, Clara could hardly hide the smile on her face. The Doctor's little trick might not have worked miracles, but she could tell that the class seemed a little more impressed by her now.

* * *

"You are a genius!"

The Doctor looked up from tuning his guitar when he heard Clara's voice and he saw her standing in front of his desk, smiling broadly.

"I don't know how you thought of that or why it has worked, but my students actually participated in my class today. Some of them looked quite impressed," she giggled and the Doctor loved seeing her like that. The sound of her laughter made his heart jump with joy.

He had spent all Sunday thinking about something, about a way he could help her out with her students and it seemed as if his little trick had worked.

"Glad I could be of assistance," he said, granting her a sincere smile, "Now they only need to fail that essay and you'll be feared on the entire campus."

"Well, I'm not sure I wanna be feared," she said and sank down to sit on the edge of his desk, "But a little respect would be nice."

The Doctor looked up at her, just taking in the sight for a moment. He had no idea how she did it, but Clara seemed to look a little bit prettier with every passing day.

"You'll have that, don't worry," he reassured her, "It just takes a little time."

She sighed. "Yeah, Amy said the same thing."

When Clara fell silent, the Doctor racked his brain for something else to say. He didn't want her to leave just yet and she would if he didn't keep the conversation going.

"Did you have a nice time at the cinema the other day?" the Doctor asked her and suddenly Clara seemed to tense up. For some reason she avoided his gaze.

"Not really. Danny picked a horrible movie," she admitted and hesitated for a moment before she continued, "What about you?"

The Doctor scoffed. "Same actually."

Something about the way Clara acted seemed strange again. Her great mood had vanished at the mention of Saturday night and the Doctor wasn't sure whether it was because she had had a horrible time or if maybe Missy wasn't so wrong after all.

"But I had promised Missy that she could pick the movie, so I had to suck it up. She's letting me live with her at the moment. I owe her for that," he explained.

Suddenly Clara's head shot back up. "She's the friend you've been living with?"

"Yep," the Doctor said, "The very one. We've been friends since we were children. Missy is. . . different, but you get used to it, I guess."

"Oh, well," Clara smiled at him, "Say hello from me. Tell her it was nice to meet her."

The Doctor couldn't help but return her smile. Missy had been right. Damn, she really had been right. Now he only needed to think of his next step.


	12. Chapter 12

_Thank you for the lovely reviews :) And please don't panic if I miss a day because of the 6 tests that were/are due this week._

 **Chapter 12**

"Uhhhh, I'm shaking with terror," the Doctor muttered without enthusiasm as they passed a row of heads on a spike.

Clara giggled next to him. "They have to keep that part suitable for children, you know?"

If she was completely honest, the Doctor did have a point. The main halls of the London Dungeon were hardly frightening, but for tonight's show they had planned a few additions to their usual repertoire and upon entering, the Doctor and Clara were cautioned that children, sensitive people, pregnant women, epileptics and anyone suffering from a heart disease were advised not to attend the show, so she guessed that the frightening part was yet to come.

"You're not bored, are you?" Clara asked him as they walked along the dark corridor where a model of 17th century London was going up in flames next to them. She didn't want the Doctor to be bored. She wanted him to enjoy this evening with her.

"Bored?" he chuckled, smiling down at her in the darkness, "I couldn't be bored in your company if I tried."

Clara almost stopped dead in her tracks when he said that, but the crowd behind her kept her moving. Still Clara didn't know what to respond. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought he was _flirting_ with her.

Then her mind was taken off the matter when they had reached the end of the corridor and a guide was waiting for them there. He gave a speech about the labyrinth they were about to enter, about the creatures that would try to hunt them down on their way through and warned them once more that this was their last chance to turn around if any of them had a change of mind.

"Last chance to leave," the Doctor muttered next to her.

Clara giggled in response. "I'm not scared."

"I wasn't talking about you," he said and threw her a glance, smiling lightly.

"Don't worry," Clara reassured him jokingly, still giggling while she reached for his arm, "I will keep you safe."

"I'm counting on that."

The doors to the labyrinth opened and Clara tightened her grip around the Doctor's arm in anticipation. She had never taken part in anything like this before and she had no idea just what exactly to expect, and it was the uncertainty that made her a little wary of what was to come.

They were asked to step inside in groups of two or three and Clara and the Doctor entered the labyrinth a few minutes later. Clara could hardly see a thing in there and the sounds she heard were eerie, yet not enough to actually frighten someone.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked her, chuckling a little.

"Absolutely," she replied but a second later Clara gasped in surprise and her heart started beating a little bit faster when she thought she had almost run into someone else.

A scream could be heard from one of the other groups further ahead and Clara stopped in her tracks until she realized that the person she had almost run into was nothing but her own reflection in a large mirror.

"Oh my God," she muttered under her breath, sighing in relief.

The Doctor laughed next to her. "Don't exaggerate. You don't look half as scary as you just made it seem."

"Ha-ha," she mocked him, "Let's see how you react when you suddenly bump into a mirror."

But the Doctor didn't respond. Instead he spun around on the spot and looked further into the darkness.

"What is it?" she asked and instinctively stepped a little closer to him. He had spotted something, Clara was sure of it. It was as if she could feel it lurking there somewhere.

"Not sure," he said hesitantly, his voice quiet.

Clara didn't dare to move and yet the uncomfortable feeling grew the longer they remained in the spot. She felt watched, despite, or especially because of the darkness. Anything could be hiding here. Then she felt it. It started with a soft rustling sound, then a prickling on the back of her neck as her hairs stood up. When she could feel the breath on the skin of her neck Clara shrieked, grabbed the Doctor by the arm and started running. The person dressed as a monster didn't follow, she was sure of that, and yet she still dragged the Doctor behind one of the mirrors where they were hidden away from sight.

"What was that?" the Doctor asked she instantly.

"Shhh!" Clara shushed him, her voice dropping to a whisper, "There was something behind us."

He laughed next to her. "You are terrified."

"No," she retorted, a hurt tone to her voice, "Just. . . startled. This is a horror cabinet. So I'm allowed to be startled. Encouraged even."

Again the Doctor chuckled and Clara felt him close his hand around her own in the darkness. She rolled her eyes at the gesture. "Doctor, I maybe be a tiny but terrified, but I'm still a grown up. There's no need to actually hold my hand."

"Clara," the Doctor replied cautiously and a moment later she watched him raised two hands in the air. Even with the little light they had she could see them clearly. "I'm not holding your hand."

" _Boo!_ "

Both the Doctor and Clara screamed when the monster stepped out from the shadows behind them and they started to run. They passed a graveyard filled with moving angel statues, they ran along the shaking corridors of a sinking submarine where steam was blown into their faces from all possible angles, they hurried along a haunted house filled with ghosts and other illusions and they didn't stop until they had reached the exit. Panting and wheezing they finally came to a halt.

"Well, that was a short night of horrors," the Doctor commented, gasping for air.

Clara raised her hand, pointing back at the labyrinth. "You can go back if you like."

"Uhm, he paused, staring down the path they had come from, "No, I'm good."

Once they were back outside, Clara once more became aware of the freezing cold October air and she wrapped her coat around her body for protection. The Doctor had parked his car not too far away, but it would still take them a couple of minutes before they had reached it. Then, when they had been walking in silence for a while, Clara couldn't hold back the laughter.

"You were scared, admit it," she laughed at him.

"I was _startled_ ," he replied, but after a moment the Doctor started laughing as well, "It was fun though. Didn't know I could run that fast."

"Yeah, it was fun," Clara agreed with a smile, but her mood vanished when she realized that her evening with the Doctor was about to come to an end. Unless she thought of something else. "Hey, I haven an idea."

The Doctor turned around, arching an eyebrow at her.

"It's not even midnight and I'm not really tired yet. Would you-," she hesitated, "Would you like come back to my place and watch a horror movie or something? Just so we can get _startled_ a little more."

She had half expected the Doctor to turn down her offer, but to Clara's surprise he smiled at her. "Yeah," he replied, "That sounds like a great idea."


	13. Chapter 13

_Thank you for the sweet reviews. You're expecting a kiss now, right? Hehe, let's see about that. . ._

 **Chapter 13**

When he stepped inside Clara's flat, the Doctor instantly realized that it looked exactly like he had imagined it in his head. The place gave off a warm, cosy, homely vibe with just the right amount of organized chaos that he loved to practice as well.

"Why don't you go through to the living room and make yourself comfortable while I put the popcorn in the microwave?" Clara asked while she left her coat on the rack by the door before she made her way into the kitchen.

The Doctor reluctantly stepped into the living room and spotted a comfortable looking sofa along with a telly and, of course, a nice selection of books. Immediately he went to inspect the contents of the shelf and spotted a copy of his favourite novel behind a photograph that showed Clara as a child with a woman who could only be her mother. On a different part of the shelf he also noticed another family picture, but to the Doctor's surprise he saw none of her fiancé.

„Is beer alright?"

The Doctor spun around to see Clara standing in the doorway, holding two bottles and a large bowl of popcorn in her hands and wearing a bright smile on her face.

He smiled back. "Beer sounds good," he replied and walked up to the sofa to take a seat while Clara settled down next to him.

"I have a couple of horror movies here. Do you want to watch one in particular?"

"No, it's fine," he told her simply because he didn't know any horror movies at all – not that he was eager to admit that, "You pick."

Once more Clara rose from her seat and knelt down next to her DVD collection while the Doctor reached into the popcorn bowl, waiting for Clara to choose a film to scare them and before he knew it, she was back next to him and the DVD was playing on the small screen.

The Doctor tried his best to focus on the movie in front of him, he really did, but it was proving to be nearly impossible while Clara was sitting next to him. As the story progressed and the ghost started to appear on screen, Clara was slowly inching closer to him until their elbows and knees brushed. Morally it had probably been a bad idea to agree to come, but his heart told him that it had been the best possible decision he could have made. Maybe he could even go a little further?

Just when he was considering placing his arm around her shoulder, Clara gasped next to him when the ghost started screeching on screen and her hand landed on his thigh, her fingers digging into the fabric of his trousers.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, trying to suppress a chuckle.

"Shhh!" Clara hushed him and leaned a little closer, the perfect opportunity for him to finally put his arm around her shoulder.

His heart was beating fast when he did and he half expected Clara to pull away, but she didn't. She liked him, despite Danny, he was sure of that now, and the thought about that boosted his ego immensely. The Doctor stopped following the plot, his only thought being the woman in his arms. It might still take a while, but he could have her if he really tried.

Clara sighed in relief when the credits started to roll over the screen and she started to untangle herself from his embrace.

"Okay, that was scarier than the Midnight Horror," she admitted, "Now I need to check under my bed for monsters before I go to sleep."

The Doctor chuckled in reply. "I could check for you if that makes you feel safer?" he suggested.

She paused and looked at him, her eyes suddenly darker in the scarce light of her living room and they were searching his face as if looking for something in particular.

"Actually," she began after a moment, "I think it would make me feel safer if you stayed."

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't find a single coherent thought in his mind that would serve as an appropriate answer. Clara was asking him to spend the night at her place. Morally that was very, very, _very_ wrong. But then why did it make him feel so happy?

"I mean on the couch," she added after a moment, sounding more than a little nervous, "Which is very soft and comfortable in case you haven't noticed."

"I, uhm, I'd love to," he replied without thinking. How could he say no? It was impossible.

"Great," she breathed in reply, a smile spreading across her face, but her eyes remained fixed on him.

Clara was so close. It wouldn't take much for him to simply bend down and kiss her. The Doctor was dying to taste those lips, to just close his arms around her and sink back on the sofa, and right now he would have loved to think that that was exactly what was on Clara's mind as well.

Then suddenly she cleared her throat and rose to her feet. "Well, I better get you a duvet and pillow then, huh?" she asked and vanished into the corridor.

If that had really been his chance to kiss her, the Doctor had blown it by hesitating.

* * *

When Clara woke up the next morning, her first thought went to the Doctor who was sleeping on her sofa, and she was suddenly wide awake. The Doctor was sleeping in her flat, on her living room couch.

She couldn't possibly stay in bed for a moment longer, her heart and mind racing at the memory of last night and how she had considered kissing him, so Clara reached for her morning robe and sneaked back into the living room. Right before she had gone to sleep she had wanted to kiss him and she knew that the Doctor had known what she had been about to do. Even though Clara should feel guilty, the most prominent thought in her head was that she wished she had done it.

On quiet feet Clara made her way past the still sleeping Doctor and into the kitchen where she immediately switched on the kettle to make tea, and she also popped two slices of bread in the toast before she walked back into the living room. The Doctor had the blanket pulled up to his chin and with a wicked smile Clara tucked at it.

"Mhpf," he muttered in half-sleep.

Clara gave the blanket another soft tuck. "Breakfast is almost ready. And tea."

The Doctor growled. "What?" he mumbled, "I thought your couch came with breakfast in bed service."

"Maybe next time," she chuckled, "Now come on, the water is boiling."

Muttering protest, the Doctor threw the blanket aside and scrambled to his feet, and Clara couldn't help but notice how sweet he looked in the morning. Tired and unshaven, his hair ruffled and dressed in a simple t-shirt. Normally he hid his arms under a warm jumper, but now Clara could see his pale but well toned arms.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked him while she handed him a mug filled with tea.

"Like a baby," he replied with a smile, "You didn't lie. Your couch really is comfy."

Again she chuckled. "Could I ever lie to you?"

It was at that moment that the ringing of her phone interrupted her and Clara turned to the kitchen counter to see who was disturbing them this early, only to realize that Danny was calling. Of course. Who else could it be?

"Aren't you going to answer?" the Doctor asked behind her right when Clara had switched the phone to silent.

"No," she replied, turning back around to smile at him, "It's nothing."

Still he raised his eyebrows at her as if in doubt.

"It's my dad," she lied, "He's gonna want to hear all about the new job, which will take more than five minutes."

Even though the Doctor didn't quite look as if he believed her, he gave a light shrug of his shoulders and sank down on the kitchen chair.

"How are the students behaving, by the way? I haven't even asked yesterday."

"Fine," Clara replied as she settled on the other chair, handing him a slice of toast. She was glad that the topic had shifted, even though work wasn't really her favourite subject to talk about, "Their essay is due next week."

The Doctor smiled at her in reply. "Let me know how that goes."

"I will," Clara confirmed, dreading the pile of essays already. Either they were going to be great and she would have a hard time grading them, or they would be terrible and she would probably feel bad about giving her students the assignment when they clearly weren't ready. Yes, she would definitely need the Doctor's advice. When the time came. Right now she just wanted to enjoy his company and forget that the university even existed.


	14. Chapter 14

_Thank you for the lovely reviews. Disappointed about the lack of kissing? Awww. . ._

 **Chapter 14**

The first thing that caught the Doctor's attention when he returned from his last class for the day was the closed door between his office and that of Clara, but what made him aware that something was terribly wrong was the quiet noises he could hear coming from the other side when he stepped closer. Carefully the Doctor raised his hand to the door and knocked.

"Not now," he could hear Clara say behind the door. Her voice sounded odd.

"Clara?"

There was rustling sound. "I said not now."

Something wasn't right and he knew it, so despite her protests the Doctor went to open the door.

Clara was sitting behind her desk, looking a little startled at his sudden interruption, her hand was clutching a tissue and her eyes were red from crying, the tears still visible on her cheeks.

"What part of _not now_ did you not understand?" she asked him and proceeded to blow her nose in the handkerchief.

"Is everything alright?" the Doctor asked her with a hint of panic in his voice. Clara was crying and that wasn't good, it was anything but good. Yet he had no idea what to do about it.

"No," she wailed in reply and suddenly broke out into sobbing, burying her face in the tissue, "I can't do it. I just can't. It's only their first essays and they're making me feel stupid already."

The Doctor watched as Clara slumped down on her desk and continued to cry, her face hidden away behind her hands. He had to think of something to make her stop. Anything. Then he suddenly had an idea.

Without saying another word the Doctor turned on his heels and headed into the staff kitchen, switched on the kettle and started preparing a cup of tea. He found rock sugar when he went through the cupboards and even some whipped cream in the small fridge, even though he couldn't imagine who would need it at their work place. But he wasn't going to complain about it now.

Once he was back in his office the Doctor opened one of the drawers of his desk and retrieved a bottle of Scotch from inside before pouring some of it in the tea cup and finishing the creation with a topping of whipped cream. Tea with Scotch, sugar and whipped cream – sounded like the perfect recipe to make a woman stop crying.

"Clara, come here, please," he said loudly enough for her to hear, "I've got something for you."

When she didn't react the Doctor once again made his way to the door, only to see that Clara was still at her desk, staring right at him through her big eyes. He held up the mug and granted her a soft smile.

"You made me tea?" she croaked.

"Special recipe," he nodded in the direction of his office, "Come, sit on the couch with me."

Still sniffing, Clara slowly rose from her chair and followed him into his own office before she let herself fall back down on his sofa. The Doctor couldn't help but think that she looked downright miserable while he handed her the mug and sat down next to her. Whatever it was that had upset her so much, he would try his best to help her.

"There's whipped cream on there," she noted and took a careful sip, "And also there's Scotch in it."

"You looked like you needed it," the Doctor replied softly.

Clara took another gulp from the tea before she set her mug down on the small coffee table and then, to his surprise, she flung her arms around him and leaned against his chest. Somehow he knew that she started to cry again, but the Doctor couldn't quite find the words now that she was touching him.

"I started reading their essays," she sniffed, "And I have no idea what to do. I don't know where to start. I've never even heard of some of their sources. I've made a big mistake. I can't teach at uni. I just don't know how."

When Clara broke out into sobs again, the Doctor finally knew what to do. He closed his arms around her in return, holding her in his embrace, and just let her cry for a moment.

"It's okay," he whispered after a while, "It's normal to feel like that at the beginning, but trust me, you were born to teach at uni. I knew it the moment you stepped into my class. You were bold and brave and you had the audacity to challenge me over Shakespeare even though you were about half my size."

"I was exactly the size I am now," she replied and the Doctor thought he heard her chuckle despite her tears, "And you were wrong."

"No, I wasn't," he argued.

Suddenly Clara raised her head again, staring up at him. "Are we really gonna start that again?"

The Doctor smiled at her and in a surge of bravery he reached for her face and cupped her cheeks in both his hands as tenderly as he possibly could. "Well, you are definitely wrong about this. You can do it, I know it. And I will help you out as long as you need me. Starting with those essays."

Clara's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed determinedly, "I won't let you quit this job, not when I know you can do-"

His sentence was abruptly cut short when Clara sat back up and before he knew what was happening her mouth was pressed against his own in a kiss. His mind went utterly blank when their lips touched and he wanted so much to give in to her, to open up and let her in, to taste her properly. He wanted all of her.

And yet before he could act Clara pulled aware from him, the shock of what she had done so awfully plain on her face.

"Sorry," she uttered instantly, "I'm sorry. I, uhm, I didn't mean to. It was. . . It was just. . . I don't know."

Clara rose from the sofa and took a few steps back while the Doctor still had no idea what to say to her. Of course she had never meant to kiss him. Of course not, she was engaged to Danny. And he was just an idiot, hoping for there to be something between them and making an effort for nothing. He needed to think. I needed to get this kiss out of his head as soon as possible and yet there was no way he could, not while her touch was still burning and tingling on his skin.

"Uhm," he paused, "Essays. We should probably grade them."

"Yeah," Clara breathed and the Doctor saw that she swallowed hard, "Essays. Right. We probably should."

The Doctor forced himself to laugh in an attempt to lift her spirits – and his own confusion. "Can't waste our time kissing, right?"

"No," Clara blurted out immediately, her eyes wide, "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I know, I shouldn't have done that."

"No," he sighed, his voice sad. Clara didn't want him in that way. He had been wrong.


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you so much for the sweet reviews :)_

 **Chapter 15**

Clara took a deep breath before she followed Danny into the jewellery shop and sighed. Ring shopping was the last thing on her mind right now, especially after what had happened earlier. She had kissed the Doctor.

She had _kissed the Doctor_.

Oh God, how could she have made such a fool of herself? Clara hadn't meant to do it, but she had already been emotional after her little breakdown and the Doctor had been his usual self and he had been so close and she had just kissed him in the spur of the moment. He would never be able to look at her the same way now. Their friendship would be ruined for sure. Even though he had tried his best to hide his confusion while they had started on her students' essays, Clara had still noticed him avoiding her gaze and keeping his distance. _Stupid, stupid Clara_ , she scolded herself internally. And the worst thing about her situation was that right now her fiancé was taking her to choose an engagement ring after she kissed another man and Clara couldn't even bring herself to feel guilty about it. She knew in her heart that she should feel bad, but her thoughts were with the Doctor and how she had made a mess out of their friendship simply because Danny had nothing to worry about. The Doctor would never see her in that way.

"Hello, we're here about returning a ring," Danny told the woman behind the counter and Clara decided to focus on the task at hand – choosing a ring that she didn't hate.

"Of course," the woman smiled at him, "Was it the wrong size?"

"No, unfortunately my fiancé developed a rash. I think we will go with a different material this time," Danny explained and handed over the small box that held Clara's most hated object. She wasn't sad to see it go back to where it had come from at all.

Again the seller smiled and unlocked the glass cupboard under the counter to retrieve a selection of rings, placing them right in front of Clara. "Here is a selection of our platinum rings, which are all hypoallergenic. I'm sure the lady won't have problems with these."

Clara bent forward to have a look and the first thing that caught her attention were the tiny price tags attached to them – the numbers printed on them, however, weren't tiny at all. "Your wallet might have a problem with them," she commented.

Danny placed his arm around her shoulder. "It's a good investment."

"No, it isn't," she argued instantly, glaring at Danny.

The seller responded before Danny even had a chance. "Perhaps you would like to have a look at our white gold rings. Or maybe rose gold? Rose gold is the latest fashion, trust me," she told them and bent down to retrieve more rings before Clara could protest.

She wanted to leave. Clara didn't feel like she could choose a ring she would wear for the rest of her life when she was already feeling miserable and emotional.

"Maybe we should wait until after we've bought the house," Clara suggested carefully, "The ring will wait and just because I don't have one doesn't make our engagement less valid."

That was a lie and Clara knew it and to her own dismay Clara realized that Danny wouldn't give up so easily.

"I just want you to have a nice ring that you can wear and show off with pride, darling," he told her, "Isn't there anything that you like in there?"

With a sigh Clara turned her attention back to the ring selection and considered the display for a moment. "That one looks cute," she said, pointing at a small ring with a stone, a rather classic design and the seller immediately handed it to her.

However, when Clara put it on her finger, she instantly became aware of the nagging, tight feeling that she had already felt with the previous model.

"It fits perfectly," the lady behind the counter told her with a bright smile.

Clara frowned at the piece of jewellery. "Are you sure? It feels weird. Like it's too tight."

She ripped it from her hand and put it back in its place, only to realize that the seller was looking at her in a strange, almost knowing way.

"How about we go to the back and measure your size once more?" she asked Clara and then turned towards Danny, "Would you like a cup of coffee while you wait?"

Danny seemed a little taken aback to be excluded from the process and Clara considered it to be a little strange as well, but when he shook his head, the seller was already starting to make her way into the back and Clara had no other choice but to follow.

As soon as the curtain was closed behind them, Clara wanted to ask why they couldn't measure her size back at the counter, but then the knowing smile of the shop assistant told her that it had been very much on purpose.

"I know it's none of my business, but I get customers like yourself a lot more often than you would think," she said kindly.

Clara raised her eyebrows. "Customers like me?"

There was nothing but kindness in the seller's comforting voice. "Usually, when a woman thinks the rings feel odd or funny, they still need a bit of time to make up their mind about what exactly they want. Or they need time to get used to the idea of getting married. That's nothing to feel bad about."

She sighed in defeat, knowing that the seller had seen right through her. "Doesn't change the fact that my fiancé expects me to pick a ring today."

The seller shrugged. "We could tell him that there's a new collection coming in in a few weeks. In the meantime you can browse some of our catalogues and see if there's anything in particular that you like. You can come back together once you have a clearer idea about what you want."

"You are a lifesaver," Clara laughed in relief, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're going to wear that ring for the rest of your life," the seller told her, "The decision shouldn't be rushed. Take all the time you need."

When Clara left the shop ten minutes later, she felt a lot happier than she had upon entering. The pressure of choosing a ring was taken off her shoulders for the time being and Danny was more than okay with the seller's explanation as well, vowing that he only wanted the best for his bride to be. Now she only wished that the issue with the Doctor could be solved so easily.

* * *

The Doctor slumped down on the sofa and took a large sip from his beer bottle right before Missy interrupted his first peaceful moment of the day.

"I think you forgot something in the bathroom," she said in passing, "One day I will start throwing out every pair of underpants I find just to see when you run out."

He growled in response. "I'm having a really bad day here, okay? I just want 10 minutes to drown in self pity. Is that too much to ask?"

Missy turned around instantly, eyeing him closely. "Oh dear," she said, "What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," he muttered, sipping his beer.

With a sigh Missy plopped down next to him. "Actually, I think you're desperate to get this off your chest, so spill it," she coaxed him.

"Fine," the Doctor spat, "Clara kissed me and then she went on and on about what a stupid mistake that had been."

" _What?!_ "

"Yeah," he breathed. Just the memory of that look on her face hurt his heart. "She's not into me. You were wrong."

"Hang on," Missy's head appeared in his field of vision, " _She_ kissed _you_ and you think she's not into you?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes in annoyance. He didn't really feel like going over the pain again just so Missy could know every detail. "She kissed me and then she said it was a mistake. Mistakes happen, now leave me in peace."

"You don't just accidentally kiss someone without wanting to," Missy argued.

He turned his head, frowning at his best friend. "I kissed you at our graduation party."

"That doesn't count," Missy made a waving gesture with her hand, "You got stoned for the first time in your life and confused me with your crush and, to be honest, we wore similar dresses."

The Doctor simply glared at her in response. He couldn't really imagine Clara confusing him with Danny.

However Missy left him no time to think. "You are an idiot, Doctor. And also a slob. But that girl is into you, trust me. I have no idea why, but that's beside the point. I think you should just go for it. You've got nothing to lose. Hit on her like there's no tomorrow and if she says no, you will know for sure, but I sincerely doubt that."

"She is engaged," the Doctor reminded her.

Missy shrugged. "I could run him over with my car."

He frowned at her in reply, sincerely hoping that Missy had just made one of her jokes. Although, with Missy, the Doctor could never quite tell.

"I was kidding," his friend gave him a soft nudge in the ribs, "You've been pining after that girl for years. Go get her!"

When Missy rose from her seat, leaving the Doctor on his own once more, he considered her words. Accidental kisses really didn't happen so often. And even though his best friend was quite insane, maybe it was time he practised some insanity as well. And trying to steal Clara Oswald away from her fiancé was maybe the most insane idea he had ever had.


	16. Chapter 16

_Thank you for the sweet reviews, dears :) You liked that kiss, huh? Mhhhh. . ._

 **Chapter 16**

"Are you gonna join the excursion on Saturday?" Amy asked and Clara looked up from her task of stirring her tea. She had been so lost in her thoughts about how to approach the Doctor today that she hadn't even heard her fellow teacher enter the staff kitchen.

"Excursion? What excursion?" Clara asked back.

"Oh, it's an annual thing. All teachers and students are invited. We're driving out of the city to collect mushrooms under the supervision of the biology department and afterwards come back here to have a barbecue. It was fun last year," Amy explained to her.

Clara had to admit that it did sound like a lot of fun, if it wasn't for one kind of important fact. "Isn't it a bit cold?"

"Weather is supposed to get a little warmer again," Amy added with a smile, "Besides, that's what warm coats are for, right?"

Clara smiled back at her. The more she thought about it, the more Clara was beginning to like the idea. It would be fun to go out and get some fresh air for a change, especially if the weather was going to be nice.

"You know what? I'll come," she agreed happily, "I don't know a thing about mushrooms, but I do know that you shouldn't touch the red ones with the white spots."

"Oh, you're coming to the mushroom thing."

Clara's head shot around when she heard the Doctor's voice and instantly spotted him in the doorway of the staff kitchen, smiling broadly at the two of them. Something about him had changed since yesterday, Clara could tell. She just didn't know what it was.

"Yeah," Clara replied reluctantly, "Amy was just telling me about it."

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe from the deadly ones," the Doctor said as he made his way past the two of them to switch on the kettle.

Now Clara realized just what exactly was odd. The Doctor was acting as if the kiss had never happened. Or that it had happened and he was fine with it. In any way, his reaction was confusion her because her feelings were still running haywire whenever she looked at him.

"You, uhm, you're coming, too?" she asked cautiously.

"Of course," he said, beaming at her, "It's gonna be a fun event, isn't it, Amy?"

"Absolutely," Amy agreed cheerfully.

Clara swallowed, suddenly not so sure anymore whether it was actually a good idea to come. Then she realized how stupidly she was behaving. She was going to see the Doctor every single day, whether she wanted to or not, so one more time couldn't hurt, right?

* * *

Clara regretted her decision and they had only been walking into the forest for five minutes. The last week had been bizarre, to say the least, and Clara had no idea just what to make of it. The Doctor was treating her normally, either as if their kiss had never happened or as if he didn't care about it in the least and either way, it was bugging her because that moment on his sofa was on her mind constantly. Clara kept replaying the scene over and over in front of her inner eye and the more she thought about it, the angrier she grew at herself and also at the Doctor because he didn't seem to care about it at all. Instead he was nice. Exceptionally nice. He helped with her essays, he brought her tea, asked about her classes and all of it felt utterly strange to her. Clara was nervous in his presence, edgy, because her crush on him hadn't faded away in the least. Quite the contrary. The kiss had only made it worse.

Clara didn't even realize how far she had fallen behind the group when suddenly the Doctor appeared next to her, granting her a smile.

"Lovely day to be out in nature, isn't it?" he asked casually.

Clara looked up at him, a frown on her face. Maybe she should ask about it. After all, they hadn't really talked about the kiss at all. But then again, what good would that do?

"Yeah," she replied instead, "It's lovely indeed."

As they walked deeper into the forest, Clara spotted the rest of the group further ahead and almost vanishing behind a row of trees. However, the one thing she hadn't seen so far were mushrooms. She suspected that it was going to change soon while the undergrowth grew thicker. Then suddenly a memory made her laugh.

"My former class at Coal Hill got really scared last time we went into the forest on a class trip. We had talked about fairytales a few weeks earlier and Courtney started to mention witches and monsters and some of the other children almost freaked out," Clara giggled, "Apparently they had missed that part about fairytales being fiction."

"Oh, I don't know," the Doctor replied after a moment, "Forests can be frightening. You walk through the deep, dark forest, the path disappears, you find yourself with a strangely compelling, masculine figure. . ."

Clara's head shot back up, glaring at him. "What?"

"What?"

He put on the most innocent face he could probably muster and Clara knitted her eyebrows at him. "Did you just call yourself _strangely compelling_?"

"Well, I am," he argued, looking just a tiny bit hurt.

The Doctor was subtle, he had been subtle all the time, but finally Clara thought she had seen through it. He was flirting. "I am engaged, Doctor," she told him calmly, reminding herself in the process, even though a part of her wanted him to flirt with her.

"That's odd because you never talk about him. No one really knows anything about your fiancé," he argued.

"That doesn't change the fact that I am engaged, whether I talk about him or not," Clara raised her voice a little, the anger about his nonchalant behaviour that she had been trying to swallow all week rising back up.

"Everyone knows everything about Amy's husband. She talks about him constantly, to everyone. You're not even wearing a ring."

Clara stopped dead in her tracks. So she had been right. He was _flirting_. He was _jealous_. He was _into_ her. Oh God, this truly couldn't have come at a worse time. "Doctor, why are you doing this?"

The Doctor came to a halt and turned around to look at her. It was right there on his face. How could she have missed it the entire time?

"Because I'm interested. I have been for a while, but I couldn't approach you because you were my student, so instead I fled. When I saw you again, I thought I had been given another chance," he confessed, his shoulders sinking just a little.

Clara didn't know what to say. Had he confessed his intentions back when she had still been his student, Clara would have jumped at the opportunity and hearing those words from him now made her heart jump and her hands tremble in excitement. Yet her stomach tightened into a knot because his timing couldn't have been worse.

"I have Danny," she said quietly, here voice sad. Danny, who had been with her for years. Danny, who had come to accept all of her quirks. Danny, who was sweet and loving and forgave her for being the worst girlfriend in the world. He wasn't perfect, but Clara couldn't possibly do that to him.

"Really?" the Doctor scoffed, "You keep forgetting about his ring. You ignore his calls. Do you really think he's the one?"

"At least I know his real name!"

"Danny is boring!"

"Well, maybe I like boring," Clara threw back at him, "Maybe I need boring."

Suddenly the Doctor took a step forward and Clara instantly raised her hands.

"Whoah, what are you doing?"

A large grin spread over the Doctor's face. "Something that isn't boring."

Maybe she was just as surprised as the Doctor had been when she had kissed him in his office, maybe more, but his lips touched her own before she could react and in her surprise Clara didn't know what else to do and pushed the Doctor off her.

She hadn't meant to shove him so hard, but obviously Clara had caught him off guard, and she couldn't even reach out and hold onto him before the Doctor toppled over backwards and landed in the mossy undergrowth.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Clara uttered instantly and reached for his hands to help him up. The Doctor, however, was laughing, and instead of letting her pull him back up, Clara felt him tuck at her hands and a moment later she was lying on top of him.

"Not boring, is it?" he asked, smiling, his face just inches away from her own.

Suddenly the entire forest seemed to have grown still and all Clara could hear was the blood rushing through her ears.

"No," she breathed in reply, "Not boring."

Technically it wasn't cheating. Technically it was just a kiss. And right now, as they were pressed against one another, and the body heat coming from him was strangely inviting in the chilly forest, Clara really, really wanted to kiss him.

The Doctor cupped her face in his hands and she didn't even protest when he pulled her down until their lips locked in another kiss. It was different than before and Clara opened her mouth, tasting his tongue on her own until her guilty conscience was drowned out by the sensation.

She didn't care about Danny, she didn't care about the rest of the group, she didn't care about how they were going to look each other in the eyes come Monday morning or the strange rustling she heard behind them. All that mattered was that the Doctor didn't stop kissing her.

Then someone cleared their throat behind them and Clara instantly distanced herself from the Doctor and scrambled into a sitting position. She turned around to see Amy awkwardly towering over them.

"Uhm, you didn't find any mushrooms down there, did you?" she asked, a shy smile on her face, "Sorry, I came looking for you. Thought you had gotten lost."

"We tripped," Clara blurted out and rose to her feet, brushing a few stray leaves off her trousers.

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed, now struggling to get back up as well, "We tripped and landed with our mouths on top of each other. That happens."

Clara threw the Doctor a dirty glance, but she didn't feel like fighting him over this in front of Amy. She had already seen more than enough.

"Well, join the rest of the group when you're ready," Amy said, a look of confusion on her face and Clara just knew that on Monday morning she would have one more person to answer to about this apart from herself.


	17. Chapter 17

_Thank you for the sweet comments! Oh dear, Clara is in trouble now, isn't she?_

 **Chapter 17**

Even though Mr Armitage had started engaging him in small talk, the Doctor kept glancing over to Clara, who was clutching her tea mug, obviously freezing out here despite standing so close to the grill. Whoever thought having a barbecue in November would be a good idea? Maybe he should walk over and offer to get her something to eat. Maybe they should talk.

The Doctor felt a little confused, even though he could tell by the look on Clara's face that her confusion was far worse. They had kissed again and they had been caught this time and despite everything, the Doctor was desperate to repeat it. But how would Clara think about that?

Well, it seemed as if there was only one way to find out.

"Yes, I'll think about your proposal. Now, excuse me for a moment," the Doctor told Mr Armitage and started making his way through the crowd to where Clara was standing, all the while thinking about what he was going to say to her.

The truth was, he didn't actually want to talk. He wanted to placed his arm around her, kiss her and and then never stop.

"What do you want?" Clara asked immediately once he had approached her, her voice dismissive with a hint of annoyance.

The Doctor took a deep breath when he came to a halt next to her. "To talk," he explained quietly, "About earlier. About the other day."

"There's nothing to talk about. I am engaged and talking won't change that," she hissed sharply, glancing around to see whether they were being watched.

"I meant everything I said," the Doctor said, "I've had feelings for you back when you were my student and when I saw you again, I realized that nothing had changed. And you kissed me first, so don't tell me that there is nothing there at all."

Clara turned to face him, her eyes looking at him pleadingly, asking him to stop when her mouth couldn't. "Why did you run away?" she asked plainly, "Why did you just disappear when you felt something for me?"

The Doctor frowned at her in reply. "Because you were my student and my feelings for you were getting in the way of my teaching. I couldn't stay."

"I would have waited," she said in an accusing manner, "I would have stopped coming to your classes and would have waited until graduation and then we could have tried. Things could have been so different if you had only said something."

For a moment he had no idea what to say, what to think. Was Clara really saying what the Doctor thought she was saying? "You had feelings for me then?"

"Yes," Clara replied as if it should have been obvious, "But you had to be a coward and run away instead of talking to me about it."

The Doctor scoffed. "Clara, I can't just hit on a student."

"You should have known!" she raised her voice, "I kept coming to your office, I kept attending your classes even though I hadn't needed to. You should have seen it and asked me out!"

"I'm asking you out now," the Doctor swallowed hard, waiting for her answer, but Clara remained silent for a long moment.

"Too late," she said quietly after a while, "I have Danny now. He's not perfect, but I am far from it. And I do love him."

Hearing those words from her hurt him deeply, so to hide just how painful it was for him, the Doctor crossed his arms in front of his chest and frowned. "What if I don't accept it?"

"Well, you're going to have to," Clara concluded and suddenly she was making her way past him without even saying goodbye and vanished into the crowd.

The Doctor caught one last glimpse of her when she disappeared through a door, but he knew now. He knew for sure. Clara had feelings for him and she had hidden them for as long as he had hidden his. Not all was lost just yet because if his feelings didn't just go away over night, neither would Clara's.

* * *

Clara inhaled sharply when she closed the door of her flat behind her, hoping to wake up from this mess that was her life. But it wasn't just a dream, it was very much real. The Doctor was in love with her and he had been for a long time. For as long as Clara could remember she had thought her crush had been one-sided and that the Doctor could never see more in her than a student or a colleague, but that had been a mistake and he had come out with that far, far too late.

She couldn't do that to Danny. She just couldn't, even though a part of her was very much willing to throw it all away just so she could have the thing she had always wanted. Clara needed to remind herself that she simply couldn't have everything in life, but what was she had was good and solid. Danny was the best thing that could have happened to her.

While Clara drew out her phone and dialled Danny's number, she made her way into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, waiting for her boyfriend to answer her call. Then her eyes fell on the catalogue on the table and absent-mindedly she started to browse through it. Would it be so bad if she just picked one? It couldn't be so damn hard, could it? It was just a ring. Just one silly, little ring.

"Hey, you haven't died from mushroom poisoning," Danny's cheerful voice greeted her.

"No, I haven't," Clara replied, a smile spreading over her face, "What are you up to?"

"I've gone out with the boys like you told me to. How was the mushroom thing?"

Clara sighed and sank down on the kitchen chair. "I haven't actually seen a mushroom. There's a rumour that the biology department found some, but I'll believe that when I see it."

The memory of kissing the Doctor evaded her mind again and all of a sudden Clara did start to feel guilty about it. She should never have given in to him.

"Listen," she began while she turned the page of the catalogue, "I think I've found a ring that I like. So, if you want, we can go back to the jeweller's next week."

"That sounds like a plan," Danny agreed, "I love you."

Somehow the words tugged at her heart and Clara couldn't even say why.

"I love you, too," she replied and after everything that had happened today Clara thought the words sounded hollow and false to her ears. But she did love him. Damn, why did the Doctor have to confess his feelings and make everything unnecessarily complicated?

"See you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," Clara agreed, her voice lacking its usual enthusiasm, but right now she was too tired and too confused to pretend.

After Danny had hung up, she made the decision to call it a day. Maybe tomorrow when she woke up, the world would feel less wrong.


	18. Chapter 18

_Thank you for the reviews :)_

 **Chapter 18**

Clara was utterly lost in thought as she rinsed the cups that no one else had bothered to clean on Friday evening and she didn't even realized that Amy had entered the staff kitchen. She only became aware of her presence when Amy leaned over the sink and pinned a hand made flyer on the board above it.

"Staff Christmas party?" Clara raised her eyebrows, "It's November."

Amy shrugged in reply. "Mr Armitage asked me to hang it here so everyone would know on time. You'll come, won't you? It was so much fun last year," she said cheerfully before her face turned into a frown, "At least the part I can remember. The punch was murderous."

"I'm not really a party animal," she replied and turned back towards the sink.

"Mhhhh," Amy hummed next to her, "Or are you maybe trying to avoid the Doctor? You know, after stumbling in the woods and accidentally locking lips even though you're engaged."

"That meant nothing," she said defensively, trying very hard to focus on the task at hand, but failing, while she became increasingly aware of just how intently Amy was watching her.

"Didn't look like nothing to me."

While Amy leaned casually against the kitchen counter, Clara dried her hands on the small tea towel and turned to look at her.

"Okay, yes, we kissed and yes, I am engaged. I'm not proud of it and I won't let it happen again," Clara hissed, her anger showing in her voice.

She had been over everything that had happened during the last week multiple times in her head and she had come to the conclusion that Clara would stop acting on her feelings right at this point. The Doctor had been her hopeless crush for years, of course she had jumped at the opportunity, but that was over now. It was time she focused all of her love on Danny, who had been sweet and loving all day yesterday while Clara had retreated with a guilty conscience. She was going to be a better girlfriend from now on, starting with choosing and wearing an engagement ring.

Amy, however, raised an eyebrow at her. "Why does it sound as if you'd very much like for it to happen again?" she asked. "Not that I blame you. The Doctor is quite handsome."

He was indeed. Clara took a deep breath, but Amy cut her off before she could reply.

"But so is your fiancé."

Then suddenly her colleague's gaze dropped to Clara's hands and she gasped at the sight of them "Oh my God, Clara, what happened to your hands?"

When Amy reached out to hold up her hands, Clara took her first proper look at them and realized that they were covered by the same rash that she had thought had been caused by her engagement ring. Now that it had spread over both of her hands, however, Clara wasn't so sure anymore.

"I, uhm, I don't know," she replied, still eyeing the red spots and feeling more than a little puzzled about where they had come from.

"Are you allergic to the dish soap?"

"Maybe," she breathed in reply. If that was so, she wouldn't have to worry about the next ring she chose. It was going to be fine. But then why didn't she feel relieved?

"Well, you're hereby relieved from kitchen duty for now," Amy said determinedly, "At least until we get a different soap."

Clara was still eyeing her hands as she made her way back into her office, but when she arrived there, she immediately spotted something that hadn't been on her desk ten minutes ago. A huge bouquet of beautiful flowers. And the Doctor, who also hadn't been here before, was standing next to her desk, granting her a shy smile.

Clara instantly put her arms akimbo. "Those better not be a silly attempt to change my mind," she said harshly.

"No," the Doctor replied, "Those are an apology."

She raised her eyebrows at him while she carefully stepped closer to examine the flowers. It was a bright mix that she could already smell from a few steps away and she had to admit that they did brighten up the office in a nice way.

"It was unfair of me to just spring that on you," the Doctor said, staring at his feet, "I know that you're engaged and that confessing my feelings must have put you on the spot. I'm sorry about that."

For a moment Clara felt a little lost for words, especially since she had technically done the same thing. She had confessed her feelings and blamed him for the situation they were in now because he hadn't spoken about it sooner. And yet she had had no intentions to apologize to him. Then she became aware of the fact that he wasn't looking at his feet exactly, but at something he was holding in his hands.

In a quick movement Clara stepped forward and snatched the cards away from him and her first look already confirmed what she had suspected. The Doctor had cue cards that held the exact words he had just told her.

"How long have you been preparing for this?" she asked, holding up the evidence.

Again the Doctor gave her an apologetic smile. "All day yesterday?"

"Mh," she uttered and flipped through the remaining cards until her eyes fell on the very last one. " _Dinner?_ "

The Doctor inhaled sharply. "I was going to suggest cooking dinner as part of my apology. Missy is away for a training course until Friday. I can demolish her kitchen without her shouting at me about it."

Clara knew it was potentially a very bade idea, but while the Doctor was standing in front of her, looking cute and shy, she felt the words slip out of her mouth before her mind could stop them. "Dinner sounds good."

His head shot up and the Doctor stared at her in utter disbelief. "Really?" he asked, dumbfounded, "You still want to hang out with me?"

Clara gave a nonchalant shrug, trying to convince herself that it wasn't a big deal. "I don't see why not. We've been hanging out before, we can still do that. I enjoy your company."

A big grin spread over the Doctor's face. "Not as much as I enjoy yours."

"Ah," Clara raised her finger as a warning, "One condition."

"Which is?" he enquired carefully.

"No flirting."

"I can do that," the Doctor confirmed, "I can absolutely do that."

Finally Clara smiled back at him as she handed him the cue cards back. "Good," she concluded, "I have to go to class now, but thank you."

She watched as a frown appeared on his face. "For what?"

"Well, the flowers of course."

* * *

When Clara had left the office, the Doctor sank back against the door with a sigh. The direct approach had amounted to nothing, so now he would go back to being subtle. Clara had feelings for him. The rest would fall into place eventually. As the Doctor made his way to his own classes, he already thought of a nice recipe for when Clara would be coming over for dinner and he prayed that she wouldn't change her mind.


	19. Chapter 19

_Thank you for the reviews :) Now, let's see if Clara continues to be a bad girl. . ._

 **Chapter 19**

Clara looked down at her hand and had to admit that it wasn't as bad as she had originally thought. The ring was absolutely gorgeous, there was really no denying that. And yet the feeling of it around her finger was nagging her a little. She would get use to it this time.

"Are you happy?" Danny asked her and when Clara turned to look at him, he was smiling broadly at her.

"Yes," she replied, "Thank you. The ring is gorgeous."

"I'm glad you like it." She could hear Danny breathe a sigh of relief before he bent down and pecked her on the lips. This time it would work out. She was sure of it.

Once they were outside the jewellery shop, Danny took her hand and together they made their way back to her flat where Danny had promised her they could order pizza because neither of them felt like cooking or going out tonight.

"How about tomorrow I take you to our favourite restaurant to celebrate the occasion?" Danny suggested after a moment.

Clara chuckled. "I think we've already celebrated the engagement," she replied, "Besides, I've got plans already."

"Plans?" he raised an eyebrow at her, "Well, cancel them. Tell them you've got an engagement to celebrate with your fiancé."

He squeezed her hand a little more tightly and Clara swallowed hard because of the lie that was about to come over her lips. "I can't. I'm having dinner with colleagues and I'd feel bad about cancelling. They've helped me out quite a bit."

It wasn't technically a lie. She was going to have dinner with a colleague. Singular. One who had confessed to be in love with her. Okay, yes, it was a big, fat lie.

"Why did they need to help you out?" Danny asked her, the tone of his voice turning a little sharper.

"With uni things," Clara almost spat back at him, a response to his tone of voice, "With my students and essay and everything."

"But you said it was going well."

Clara stopped and let go of Danny's hand, sighing as she did. "It's not going well. My students hate me and I have no idea how to deal with them. It's tough, okay? So my colleagues helped me out a lot."

When Danny turned to look at her, Clara could see the surprise and disbelief so plain on his face and she realized she should have spoken to him about this a lot sooner than over a month into her new job.

"Why have you never mentioned this? I could have helped, too, you know?"

"No, you couldn't have," Clara said, her annoyance now showing, "You teach year 7 and 8 at maths. You know nothing about teaching actual adults. But the Doctor and Amy and everyone else, they know what they're talking about and it's getting better. But the transition isn't as easy as I had thought it would be."

"You're having dinner with the Doctor?" Danny's eyebrows shot up and Clara instantly rolled her eyes at him.

"Can we please stop discussing this now and go home? I won't cancel my plans with them, just like I wouldn't cancel on you if they asked to see me if you and I had already made plans."

Danny was hurt, Clara could see it clearly. She should have talked about her problems with him. She should have mentioned it. And above all she shouldn't lie to him about having dinner with the Doctor.

"Going home seems like a good idea. I think we have a lot of things to talk about," Danny reasoned after a moment and then resumed his walk, not taking Clara's hand again.

When she followed after him, Clara became aware of that itchy feeling around her finger where her ring was, but she vowed not to take it off ever again.

* * *

"Ah ah ah," the Doctor said and gently smacked Clara's hand away when she tried to steal one of the biscuits from the plate, "They're for dessert."

It didn't slip his notice when he caught a glimpse at her hand that there was a new addition on her ring finger: a small, classic engagement ring. The Doctor's heart sank a little when he saw it, but soon Clara's look caught his attention. She was frowning at him.

"I'm starving," she complained, nudging him with her shoulder, "Come on. One biscuit."

"Pasta will be ready in five minutes," he told her calmly.

"Fine," she growled, but just as the Doctor was about to turn away and continue to stir the sauce, he saw Clara reach for the biscuit out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, put that back," he told her while trying to keep a stern face. But the way Clara's eyes lit up in the most mischievous way made it very hard for him to remain serious.

"Make me," she prompted him, grinning broadly while holding up the stolen biscuit.

The Doctor wasn't entirely sure what to do, but when Clara suddenly turned around and broke out in a run, he followed after her, chasing her out of the kitchen and into the living room. Finally, when her escape route was blocked by the couch, the Doctor grabbed her from behind, closing his arms around.

"Gotcha!"

But despite his grip Clara still somehow managed to shove the biscuit into her mouth. Munching heartily, she turned around in his embrace, her eyes glistening with victory.

"You can't stop me," she mumbled with her mouth still full and laughed.

The Doctor became aware that it was time to let her go, to loosen his grip around her waist, but he didn't want to at all. Their bodies were touching just like they had in the forest and the warmth coming from her was too temping to stop now. He had promised her that he would stop his pursuit, but right now all he wanted to do was to kiss her once more.

"We, uhm," Clara cleared her throat, suddenly avoiding his gaze, "The pasta is gonna burn."

"Right," the Doctor sighed and released her from his embrace.

He made his way back into the kitchen without looking back at Clara, even though he knew that she was following him on his heels, but the lightheartedness had gone out of him. He loved her, he always had, and not being able to hold or kiss her was becoming too much to bear.

The Doctor finished preparing their dinner and in silence they both retreated back to the living room sofa where he switched on the telly just to have some low voices talking in the background that interrupted the clatter of silver on plates.

"This is really good," Clara said thoughtfully after a while, "You're a good cook."

The Doctor scoffed. "It's just pasta. Anyone can make pasta."

"Danny always overcooks it," she said and when the Doctor raised his head to look at her, he realized that Clara was staring down at her plate, not really eating the food anymore.

He pushed his own plate away from him and took in her presence for a moment. Clara seemed thoughtful or sad or both and the Doctor had no idea where that had come from or what he could do about it.

"Are you okay?"

Clara raised her head and looked him straight in the eyes before she shrugged eventually. "I'm not sure. Do you think a kiss is considered cheating?"

"Uhm," he spluttered. The Doctor was more than a little taken aback by her question and he didn't know what to reply to it. Yes, technically a kiss was cheating, but there were different kinds of kisses.

"I think that depends on-"

He never finished his sentence when Clara leaned forward and brought her lips on his own and for the moment the Doctor even forgot what he was going to say at all. Clara was kissing him and it was cheating. It definitely was. But as it was, the Doctor didn't mind.

Then Clara pulled away again, but her face remained close to his when she looked at him. "I don't care right now," she admitted quietly, "I really like kissing you."

With a sigh the Doctor reached for her plate and put it next to his own before he closed his arms around her shoulder and pulled Clara against his chest.

"What do you think about watching a movie?" he asked, "I think Missy has a few in her collection that you might like."

Clara's hand wandered upwards and rested on his chest, right above his heart, and her touch tingled in the sweetest of ways. "Movie sounds like a great idea."


	20. Chapter 20

_Thank you for the reviews, sweeties :)_

 **Chapter 20**

"This house looks like someone has dropped a bomb on it!"

The Doctor almost threw the morning newspaper aside and jumped up from the breakfast table at the sound of Missy's voice and when she appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, the Doctor swallowed hard. "You weren't supposed to be back before tonight."

"Well, I'm back now and I have my doubts you could have cleaned this mess all by yourself. The kitchen is a disaster and-"

Missy broke off and stared at him for a moment before she turned around on her heels and walked up to the bathroom door to have a look inside.

"Ha! I knew it!" Missy came storming back into the kitchen, "You seem to be confusing your underwear with the bathroom carpets."

"I was cooking for Clara last night. I swear, I was going to clean it all up after work today," he argued, but instantly realized that it was no good.

"Don't bother," Missy said and plopped down on one of the kitchen chairs, "As for the underpants, this is my last warning. If I find one more pair lying around the house, you will find a surprise in your wardrobe. I'm not kidding."

"Fine," the Doctor spat back, "Now, do you want me to clean it up after work or not?"

Missy let her gaze wander around the room for a moment. "Nah, it's fine. I've got the day off. I'll do it," she shrugged, "But you can tell me about your date with Clara instead."

The Doctor simply couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Well, we had dinner. We watched one of your silly romantic comedies and we snogged all the way through it. So I guess you could say it went well," he explained and leaned back in his seat. He knew he shouldn't feel proud about it, but he did.

Missy, however, didn't seem to mind him taking pride in it as the smile on her face showed. "Well, well, well, look at you, naughty boy. One of these days you're going to get laid after all."

The Doctor had tried to ban the thought of making love to Clara from his head as best he could, but lately the idea had started to emerge more and more often. In his imagination she was perfect and loving her would be perfect and he couldn't wait for the dream to become reality.

"Hope you're still gonna have underpants when that happens," Missy said matter-of-factly before she reached for his coffee mug and took a large sip.

* * *

Clara was nervously pacing the office, waiting for the Doctor to finally show up. Maybe he had overslept? It had gotten rather late last night, but she needed to talk to him before her classes started. Clara couldn't possibly walk around all day, feeling as nervous and agitated as this.

She was making a mess of things and she knew it. Danny, her fiancé, loved her. The Doctor, her oldest crush, loved her. It seemed as if she simply had to choose between being with Danny or being with the Doctor. The casual friendship she had been hoping for wouldn't stay casual for long as last night had proven. Clara needed to stop seeing the Doctor or it would end badly.

Then finally she could hear the door to his office open and Clara instantly stepped through the doorway. When she looked at him, Clara's determination almost faltered at the sight of him. He was the perfect combination of adorable and sexy with his silver curls ruffled by the wind outside and his holey jumper thrown over an immaculate, white shirt. Clara didn't even care that he was so much older than herself – she was undeniably attracted to him. Which was why they couldn't see each other anymore. She had a future with Danny, who was sweet and kind and her own age. She had agreed to marry him and now she was going to see it through. The Doctor was an annoying crush that just wouldn't go away, Danny was solid and he wouldn't disappear out of her life when the mood struck him.

"Oh, good morning, Clara," the Doctor greeted her happily once he had noticed her, "Did you get enough sleep?"

"Yes," she replied instantly, her voice nervous, "No. I've been thinking, Doctor."

The Doctor straightened his back and turned to look at her properly, obviously waiting for her to continue. This was going to be tough, Clara knew it, but it had to be done.

She was having too much fun in the Doctor's company, more fun than she was having with Danny, and that was a dangerous thing. But then why did he make her feel so alive when it was wrong?

"I think we should stop hanging out," she said quietly, unable to look at the Doctor, "I know I said I wanted to keep seeing you, but I don't think that's a good idea."

"We see each other at work every day," the Doctor replied, "That can hardly be avoided."

"I know, but the other stuff can. The having dinner together, watching movies, all of that. We should stop."

"Why?" he asked blatantly, "Because you want to snog me every time you see me?"

"Exactly," Clara spat back, "I am engaged, so what's happening between us isn't right. It has to stop."

To her surprise the Doctor scoffed in reply. "Clara, what's happening between us means there's something terribly wrong with your engagement."

"I know that!" she raised her voice at him, "I know that it's not perfect, but I have made that promise and I intend to keep it. I want to try, Doctor, because Danny deserves that. In fact, he deserves a lot better than me. I was lucky finding a man like him and I should appreciate what I have, not kiss my colleague behind his back."

"You're not gonna be happy with him, Clara," he argued staring straight at her. His eyes were almost pleading. "You can't even stick to wearing his ring."

This time Clara didn't even need to double check and look at her hand. She knew that she wouldn't find her engagement ring where it should be because it was lying on her bedside table.

"I love him," she admitted, her voice small.

"But you also have feelings for me."

Clara simply nodded in reply. That was the sad truth of it. She loved them both and it was an impossible decision to make.

"What do I do?" Clara asked him, "I can't leave Danny for someone who vanished out of my life once before, someone whose name I don't even know. I can't cheat on him. But you-"

She gestured towards him, sighing. "You're not making it easy for me."

"Oh Clara," the Doctor said and took a couple of steps forward before he softly closed his arms behind her back. She loved it when he held her like that. "I never said it was easy."

The way he looked at her, the sadness in his eyes simply melted her heart. A part of her thought that maybe she should be happy because the man she had pined after was loving her back at last, but then Clara remembered Danny and why everything was such a mess.

She went up on tiptoes, placed her hands on the back of his head and brought their lips together for another kiss. The butterflies in her stomach were running wild when their lips touched and Clara knew that she was definitely going to hell for this. At some point she would have to put an end to this. But not today.


	21. Chapter 21

_Thank you guys for the sweet reviews :)_

 **Chapter 21**

The Doctor wrapped the towel around his waist and made his way back into his room to get changed. He wasn't exactly in the mood for a party, but Amy had insisted that the staff Christmas party was going to be a lot of fun. Amy, who had no idea what had been going on between Clara and himself in the past few weeks. Every time they talked, Clara came to conclusion that they needed to stop. And every time she just kissed him again or he kissed her and all of their good intentions were thrown overboard. Kissing was all they had been doing and it was beginning to wind him up more than a little. The Doctor wanted more, but Clara was still torn.

Tonight was going to be interesting, stealing glances across the room without the opportunity to touch. No, he really wasn't in the mood for that and somehow he doubted that Clara was.

When the Doctor opened his wardrobe to select a clean pair of underpants, however, he found a surprise waiting for him.

" _Missy!_ "

"Yes, dear?" came her voice from the living room.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Stop pretending and tell me where you've put my underwear!"

He could hear the clicking of her heels as she crossed the floor and a short moment later his friend appeared next to him, the most innocent look on her face she could probably muster.

"I don't know what your problem is," Missy said and gestured towards the shelf holding several pairs of underpants, "There's your underwear right there."

Angrily the Doctor reached for the one on top of the pile, pulled it out and held it in front of Missy's nose. "This one's got Teletubbies on it!"

His friend shrugged. "I also prefer the elephant ones with the trunk for your-"

"Nevermind," the Doctor interrupted her, "I'm going to be late for the party."

"Well, you could say that you brought this on yourself," Missy hummed as she walked out of the room.

The Doctor groaned when she shut the door behind her and turned to face his new selection of underpants once more. Well, it wasn't as if anyone was going to see them tonight and tomorrow the Doctor vowed to find out exactly what Missy had done to his regular underwear.

* * *

Clara had just set down her lipstick and was about to check her make up when suddenly the ringing of her phone interrupted her routine. When she spotted Danny's name on the display, a smile spread over her face.

"Are you calling to wish me a fun night out again?" she asked, still smiling.

"That was one of my reasons," he chuckled softly, "Don't have too much fun without me."

"I won't, I promise," Clara sighed. She wasn't exactly looking forward to the party, but Amy had insisted on her attendance. The Doctor would be there, too, and that was where it was going to get really complicated.

"There's one more thing," Danny added after a moment, "I know this could've waited until next week, but I wanted to give you the good news straight away."

"Oh?" Clara asked back.

"Yeah," he confirmed, "You know how we agreed to go looking for a house in December? Well, it's December."

Clara instantly felt her heart sink. Yes, she had made that promise and she had completely banned that thought from her mind afterwards. And the way Danny was starting this conversation made Clara sure that he had already gone ahead with the matter.

"I've sent an e-mail to a real estate agent and I've just heard back from her. We have an appointment in two weeks to look at some houses."

"Danny," Clara began carefully and took a deep breath, "I know you mean well, but you need to discuss these things with me first. You can't just make an appointment for both of us, assuming that it's fine with me."

"We did discuss this, Clara," Danny argued and he sounded a little angry, "We said we would start looking for a house in December. You agreed. What else should I have done? Get your handwritten permission?"

"No," she spat back, "But you could have asked me before you made an appointment!"

Clara heard him scoff on the other end of the line. "I merely asked if she had what we're looking for in the e-mail. The appointment was her suggestion."

She inhaled sharply, knowing that it wasn't at all Danny's fault, but she was still mad because the last thing she needed right now was to move in with him. She wore her engagement ring, well, most of the time at least, but the rest seemed a little rushed for her liking.

"I don't want to buy a house just yet," Clara stated plainly, knowing that all the other excuses wouldn't help her, "I thought that I would feel ready once I had settled into my new job, but I don't. I need time."

"Clara," Danny laughed on the other end of the line, but to her it sounded cynical, "We're engaged. We're going to get married. Do you still want to live in separate flats when that happens?"

"No," Clara replied.

"Well, then what is it?"

She hesitated. What was it exactly? Was it her ongoing unhappiness with the engagement ring? Was it the fact that she had been seeing the Doctor behind Danny's back for the past few weeks? Was it the fact that she didn't actually want to marry Danny?

Because she didn't. She never had. Clara had said yes because the alternative would have been to disappoint him in front of 20 already cheering onlookers, she had said yes because it had seemed the reasonable thing to do. The more time passed, however, the less reasonable it seemed. She loved Danny, but she didn't want to marry him yet. There was this nagging voice in her head, the one Amy had put there, that told Clara she could very well be happy without Danny in her life.

"I don't want to get married," Clara admitted quietly.

" _What?!_ "

"At least not yet," she immediately softened her argument, "Some time in the future, maybe, probably, but not yet. I like things the way they are."

"I don't!" Danny almost shouted, "Why on earth did you say yes when you don't want to get married?"

"Because you didn't leave me a choice!" Clara yelled back, "You proposed in front of all these people. I didn't want to disappoint _and_ humiliate you! I figured that it was fine and that we didn't have to get married straight away, so I agreed."

"What? You're making it sound as if I blackmailed you into agreeing!"

"Let's face it, it's what you did," Clara spat at him before she could stop the words coming from her mouth.

Danny went silent on the other end of the phone and it seemed as if an eternity passed before Clara could bring up the courage to speak.

"Danny?"

"Well," he said quietly, "If you think about my proposal in that way, I'm not sure I want to marry you anymore."

"Danny-"

"We should hang up for now. I don't want to talk to you anymore."

Clara swallowed hard, but before she could reply anything, the line went dead and all she could hear was the monotonous beeping of her phone.

Was that it? Was that the end of her relationship with Danny? _I don't want to marry you anymore_ sounded like something pretty final and Clara wasn't sure how she felt about it. Danny had been a part of her life for so long now and right now she couldn't actually imagine how it would be without him. Once the reality had truly settled in, Clara would be sad for sure, but right now she couldn't quite grasp what it truly meant for her. She felt a little as if she was in shock, unable to wrap her mind around the recent fight.

Well, maybe tomorrow she would see it more clearly. For now it was probably best to stick to her plans – the staff Christmas party.


	22. Chapter 22

_Thank you for the sweet reviews :) You wanted a party? Let's have a party ;)_

 **Chapter 22**

The Doctor entered the brightly decorated room and immediately wanted to turn his back on _Last Christmas_ playing at full volume, but he was here now and he couldn't just leave Clara alone with all these people who seemed more than happy to be here. Clara. Where was she?

He let his gaze wander around the room until the Doctor finally spotted her, standing next to the buffet and chatting with Amy, but something about her was wrong. Amy might not have been able to see it, but the Doctor had known Clara for too long now to tell when she was faking a smile. However, when she spotted him, her face lit up in earnest.

"I'm gonna go and see if the DJ can be bribed not to play that song again tonight, okay?" Amy said towards Clara before she turned around to look at him, "Hi Doctor!"

"Hi Amy," he said before she vanished into the crowd, "I think that's a brilliant idea. I hate that song."

"Right there with you," Clara sighed and downed the contents of her glass, "Care for some punch?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Why not? I took a taxi."

He watched as Clara filled him a glass before she got a refill for herself and again he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was troubling her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked and took a sip from his glass. The punch was strong and tasted disgustingly sweet.

"Sure, why wouldn't it be?" she asked back, sipping her drink. The Doctor thought she was attempting to hide her face behind the glass.

"You seem-"

"I'm fine," she interrupted him, glaring up at him, "I'm just not so keen on being here."

The Doctor shrugged. "We could leave?"

Now she laughed at him. "You only just got here."

When he didn't reply to that, the Doctor suddenly felt Clara scanning him with her gaze, obviously considering something.

"Do you still have that bottle of Scotch in your office upstairs?" she asked him after a moment.

"Uhm, yes?" he replied a little uncertainly.

"Good," Clara concluded, "Bring your glass. At least we'll have better music than the rest."

When Clara started to make her way out of the canteen, the Doctor had no other choice than to follow after her if he didn't want to lose her. And, if he was completely honest, spending the evening alone with Clara, good music and some Scotch sounded a lot better than what they had originally planned.

He unlocked his office door and Clara instantly skipped ahead in the direction of the record player when she came to an abrupt halt next to his guitar.

"Oh, can you play me something?" she asked.

"Sure," the Doctor shrugged as he closed the door behind himself, "The Scotch is in the drawer."

While Clara helped herself to the bottle and emptied her punch, the Doctor reached for the guitar and plugged it into the small amplifier next to the sofa where he sat down. He turned down the volume so they wouldn't attract unnecessary attention from downstairs and started to play a melody when Clara sat down next to him.

"You're amazing at that," she said in awe and the Doctor felt himself blush a little. He should do something to impress her, to cheer her up, so eventually he decided to play the opening riff of _Pretty Woman_ , staring straight at Clara as he did.

"Oh, stop it," she giggled, quickly averting her eyes.

The Doctor smiled and placed the guitar back in its stand, reached for his glass and sipped the sugary drink. At least he had managed to cheer her up a little and he was feeling a lot better now that the pressure of attending a boring Christmas party had been taken off his shoulders.

"How are the students behaving?" he asked her.

"Quite well actually," Clara replied and leaned back in her seat, sipping her Scotch.

Somehow the Doctor could tell that the combination of this, being alone in a room together, the alcohol, Clara's strange mood, was potentially a bad idea, but he couldn't find it in himself to do the reasonable thing and suggest to go back downstairs. He loved it just the way it was right now. Sitting next to Clara, chatting, drinking, laughing. He didn't want that to end and it was definitely a lot more fun than they would have had downstairs. After his third drink the Doctor could feel himself get a little braver as his hand dropped to Clara's thigh, but she didn't seem to mind the gesture. Quite the contrary. She giggled when his fingertips brushed her skin and his heart started beating a little faster.

"When will you tell me your name?" Clara asked after a while, smiling dreamily at him.

The Doctor snorted. "Never," he replied and set his empty glass back down.

"I could make you," she winked at him in reply, grinning.

"And how are you gonna do that?" he arched his eyebrows up, sure that his speech sounded a little fuzzy.

In response Clara raised the bottle and refilled their glasses. "By getting you drunk enough," she giggled and raised her own glass back to her lips. Her soft, wet, beautiful lips. The Doctor watched, almost mesmerized, as she sipped her Scotch, the drink clinging to her lips and suddenly his mind was somewhere else entirely.

Clara must have noticed it because her gaze dropped from his face to his crotch slowly enough for him to understand just where she was looking and before the Doctor could react properly, Clara had set her glass down and climbed onto his lap. Her movements were a little uncoordinated and her hand slipped from its grasp around the back rest, causing her to land on top of his chest.

"There," she smiled at him once she had propped herself back up, "That's better."

The Doctor wanted to protest, tell her that it probably wasn't the right time, the right circumstances, but when she pressed her lips on top of his own, he once more forget why he should be protesting at all. Clara instantly opened her mouth to him, their tongues colliding sloppily, and her hands wandered to the back of his head, grabbing his hair to hold him in place. The Doctor couldn't help but moan into her mouth when she started grinding down against his crotch and instantly he realized just what she was up to. Clara wasn't fooling around, not this time, and the excitement about it suddenly seemed to drain all the blood from his brain.

Clara untangled one of her hands from his hair and let it slide down his chest, their lips never parting, not even when it finally came to rest on his belt. The Doctor had a hard time catching up. Clara was on top of him, kissing him, everything he had ever wanted was about to come true and he was too drunk to react properly.

"Clara," he mumbled against her lips, "I don't think I'm in the best state for this."

She broke away from him, panting, and the Doctor took a moment to catch his breath as well when suddenly she had him palmed in her hand. Clara squeezed him through the fabric of his trousers and it sent a jolt through his entire body.

"Seems to be working," she shrugged and lowered her other hand as well, struggling to undo his belt.

"You sure about this?" he asked.

Then, all of a sudden, Clara rose from her position on his lap, staggering a little, but eventually she reached down under her skirt and produced a pair of black, lacey knickers. The Doctor was only dimly aware that she stuffed them into his jacket pocket when she sat back down, their lips colliding once more in a kiss, and the Doctor lowered his hand between her legs, finding her already damp.

She whimpered into his mouth when he started rubbing his finger against her clit and the Doctor sank further into his sofa cushions while Clara dipped her hand past the waistband of his underpants and reached for his cock again. He was growing harder in her hand, her touch almost making him fall apart at this instant. He started rocking into her palm, craving more, craving her wetness around him. Clara circled his tip with her thumb and he swallowed a moan.

"Clara," he said breathlessly when their lips parted, "Please."

Clara stopped her touch and looked down, obviously aiming to pull down his underpants when she suddenly came to a halt.

"Doctor, why do you have. . ." she began warily, slurring her words a little, "Teletubbies on your underpants?"

"Long story," he replied and helped her push down the unwanted fabric.

Finally Clara closed her hand around his cock that by now was throbbing with desire for her and led her to her entrance. He didn't even try to stop the moan that came over him as he slipped into her wetness, her walls adjusting around him when he was fully buried inside her. She gasped on top of him, propping herself up against his chest and started moving. Out of all the times the Doctor had imagined doing this with Clara, the reality was definitely better. She was so hot, so tight around him, the sensation of it overpowering everything else. There was nothing on this planet right now except him and Clara.

"Oh, fuck me," he muttered when Clara leaned forward, sinking down on him again.

She giggled. "That's what I'm doing."

The Doctor couldn't help but chuckle as well at the silliness of their conversation at this particular moment and he laid his hands on her hips, guiding their rhythm, trying to make her go a little faster.

Clara gave a moan when his thrusts started to come harder and her nails dug through his shirt until he could feel them on his skin. Clara was perfect, but he needed more. The pressure was already building up in him, driving him to go faster and harder, his breath coming out ragged.

"Mhh," Clara hummed on top of him, the sound resonating through his entire body.

Damn, he was too close already and he couldn't find the will to slow down. He just needed more, and so the Doctor thrust up harder, causing Clara to utter a soft cry of pleasure as she purposefully tightened her walls around him.

It was too much and he couldn't stop it, the feeling of her around him was driving him utterly insane and before the Doctor knew it, his body just took over, plunging into her frantically until he was unable to hold it back any longer and the Doctor spilled himself inside of her with a groan when his orgasm came over him.

"Sorry," he muttered instantly, "Sorry, I just. . . I couldn't-"

"It's fine," Clara panted, "'s okay."

Clara rose from his lap and pulled her dress back down until it was covering her thighs again and the Doctor slumped back onto the sofa, still breathing heavily, his cock still tingling in the afterglow, and suddenly he felt insanely tired. The room was spinning just a little when he closed his eyes and the Doctor just knew he would pay for the Scotch with a headache the next day.

"I just need a moment," he said groggily.

"It's fine," Clara repeated instantly, "I'm gonna find a toilet."

The Doctor hardly heard the door close behind her and before he knew it, he was already drifting off.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Clara staggered along the corridor, her only aim to find a toilet, when she felt her phone buzz in her purse. She stopped and leaned back against the wall to see who it was, only to realize that the screen was blurry in front of her eyes. Damn. The Scotch had been a mistake. But then she spotted Danny's name and a single word that suddenly made her stomach turn over. _Sorry._ Oh God, she was going to be sick.

"Clara! There you are!" Amy's voice sounded across the corridor, but Clara didn't have time to react to her.

As quickly as her feet would allow she lurched forward, straight into the nearest toilet and barely had time to sink down on her knees before she emptied the contents of her stomach into the bowl. Still spitting and coughing, Clara realized that she didn't feel any better at all. She had slept with the Doctor while her relationship with Danny seemed to be at a really strange point and even though she hadn't even read his full apology, Clara could already feel the guilt eat its way through her brain. Then suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder, stroking the hair out of her face in a gentle manner.

"Better?" Amy asked kindly.

Clara sank down on the tile floor, wondering why on earth it was so cold. Where had she left her knickers? No, that wasn't good. None of this was even remotely good.

"I told you the punch was lethal," Amy reminded her and suddenly Clara felt her reach for her hands, "Come on. Let's get you to bed."

She allowed Amy to drag her back to her feet and together they started making their way out of the bathroom.

"You can crash on my couch if you want to. Rory and I live just around the corner," Amy suggested, her voice as kind as ever and Clara found herself nodding.

"That'd be nice," she slurred and allowed Amy to drag her away.

* * *

The sun was too bright for his liking and in his half sleep the Doctor cursed himself for not closing the blinds before going to bed. He turned around, desperate to hide his face from the light when suddenly there wasn't any bed left. His hands found nothing but air right before he hit the ground with a thud.

"Ow," he growled, but still he couldn't bear to actually open his eyes. His head was hammering, threatening to explode any moment. The last thing he needed was daylight.

But eventually his curiosity won and the Doctor blinked carefully, only to find what he hadn't expected. Just to be sure he opened both eyes and his suspicion was confirmed. He wasn't in his bed. He wasn't even in his house. The Doctor was lying on the floor of his office.

"Oh fuck," he muttered and slowly scrambled into a sitting position, leaning back against the sofa. Clara. The Scotch. It all started to come back to him.

He had slept with Clara had it could hardly have gone worse. How was he ever going to win her over after this drunken disaster?

Carefully the Doctor stood up, ignoring the throbbing in his temples, and looked around. Of course Clara wasn't here. Maybe he should call her and apologize? Later. Definitely later. First he needed to sober up, take a shower and swallow a whole package of painkillers.

The Doctor felt his pockets for his keys, relieved to find them where they should be, but he also found something else, something soft, and he pulled it from his pocket. He lifted up the piece of fabric and saw Clara's black lace knickers dangling between his fingers. Nope, it really couldn't have gone worse.

* * *

"Rise and shine!"

Clara gave a grunt in reply. She needed to sleep, preferably until the skull crushing headache and nausea had passed, but the smell of coffee soon made her stomach turn over inside of her, so Clara opened her eyes – only to stare into the face of a strange man.

"Who are you?" she almost shouted at him in surprise and sat up in an instant, a movement that made her head spin. Oh no, not again. Clara really hoped that she could keep down what was left in her stomach.

Then slowly Clara became aware of her surroundings. She was sitting on a couch, still in her party dress, but the living room seemed utterly unfamiliar.

"Where am I?"

The man smiled at her. "I'm Rory, Amy's husband. She brought you home with her last night," he explained quietly.

A sudden wave of relief washed over her when she realized that she hadn't done any more stupid things after sleeping with the Doctor because that was enough stupidity to last a decade or so. She was safe, at a friend's place and her friend's husband was holding up a tray with coffee and water.

"Here, have this," Rory said and handed her something that looked a lot like painkillers, "And drink lots of water. Trust me, I'm a nurse, and specialist in hangovers thanks to my wife."

"Hey, I heard that!" came Amy's voice from the next room.

"Thanks," Clara accepted the painkiller gratefully and swallowed it with the help of half a glass of water, only now realizing how thirsty she was.

When Amy emerged from the bathroom, Rory excused himself and Clara leaned back against the sofa.

"How are you feeling?"

Clara uttered a groan. "As if I was run over by a lorry," she replied and looked up at Amy, "Thanks for letting me sleep on your couch."

"Any time," Amy said and plopped down next to her. The movement she caused seemed to upset her stomach even more. "Now, enlighten me. What happened last night and where have you been while the real party took place?"

"The Doctor and I got drunk on Scotch and we had sex," Clara replied. She didn't have the energy to invent a lie or an excuse and she was sure that Amy would see straight though that anyway. Besides, she needed to get it off her chest. She wanted to talk about it.

"Okay, I did not expect that," Amy blew the air out between her lips before she suddenly leaned forward, "But what about Danny?"

Clara gave her an apologetic smile. "I don't know. He might have broken up me yesterday."

"Might have?" she raised her eyebrows.

"I don't know," Clara groaned once more, closing her eyes and leaning back against the couch, "We had a fight, a big one. He said he wasn't sure he wanted to marry me anymore."

Amy hesitated. "That doesn't sound like a breakup to me."

"I have feelings for them both," she admitted after a moment, "And I have no idea what to do."

Suddenly Clara felt Amy's arm around her shoulder and the warmth instantly made her feel a lot better. All she really wanted right now was someone who told her it was going to be alright. And maybe someone to smack her unconscious until her hangover had passed.

"That happens, Clara. Life isn't always easy and straightforward," she said gently, "But you need to make a decision and you need to make it soon. The longer you wait, the more it'll hurt."

"I know," Clara breathed in reply.

"Tell me you at least used protection," Amy chuckled as she released Clara from her embrace, but suddenly Clara felt very much alert.

Instantly she sat up straight, staring at Amy in horror.

"Clara?" her friend asked warily, but she could do nothing but stare back at Amy, "Clara, please say you used protection."

"I, uhm," she hesitated, suddenly feeling nauseous again, "I threw up my pill last night."

"Oh Clara," Amy groaned, rolling her eyes.

Clara leaned back once more and closed her eyes. This was really evolving to be the worst decision she had ever made in her entire life.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Clara lowered her head when she stepped into the pharmacy, but she was fully aware that people might still notice her short party dress under her coat, along with her high heels, both of which simply reeked of a very embarrassing walk of shame. She made her way to the counter and she could already spot the unfriendly and stern face of a middle aged woman standing behind it. Oh, this was going to be fun.

Clara cleared her throat. "Hello, uhm, I'd like the morning after pill, please," she said quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the other customer browsing a shelf in a different corner.

The pharmacist looked at her, her gaze so obviously judging her, before she turned around and vanished into the storage room. Clara almost breathed a sigh of relief once she was gone.

However the woman returned shortly after, holding a small package, and Clara was about to outstretch her hands to take it from her when the pharmacist's looks held her back.

"In my position as pharmacist I am obligated to warn you about the dangers of unprotected sex," she said.

Clara groaned and rolled her eyes in annoyance. She had feared this might happen. "Can we please not do that? I know all about the dangers of unprotected sex. Just last year I sat through an entire sex ed class with my year 8 students."

The pharmacist granted her _that_ look, that one look that said _Well, it seems you haven't paid enough attention_. "Apart from the risk of an unwanted pregnancy, there is also a number of illnesses-"

"Please," Clara hissed sharply, cutting the woman off, "I cheated on my fiancé with a man I have known since I was a schoolgirl. I trust him not to give me chlamydia or anything else and I already feel very, very bad about what happened. And, for the record, I did use protection, but I was unfortunate enough to throw up my pill and now, will you please, please just sell this stuff to me so I can go home and cure my hangover?"

Clara was a little out of breath after her little rant, but at this moment she just felt angry. Angry at herself for cheating on Danny, angry at the Doctor for not having the brains to use a condom, angry at the universe for throwing the two of them back together when she had been content with Danny. Clara didn't want her life to be so complicated. She just wanted to rest.

The pharmacist looked at her for a long moment. "Would you also like some painkillers for the hangover?" she asked after a while.

"Yes, please," Clara breathed.

Once she had paid Clara considered going home straight away, but the pharmacist had stirred up her anger and when she realized just whose house was on her way to her flat, Clara decided to blow off some steam.

* * *

The Doctor dropped down on the kitchen chair next to Missy and buried his face in his hands with a groan.

"Please tell me you know a magic trick to undo the last 24 hours of my life," he said.

"No such luck. What happened?" she asked, shoving a cup of coffee in his direction.

"Clara and I got drunk and had sex and-"

The Doctor broke off when suddenly Missy burst into laughter. He raised his head to look at her, but she didn't even notice. She was howling with laughter, apparently unable to stop, and the Doctor didn't even have a clue what was so funny about that fact.

"Missy-"

"You had sex," she laughed, "Oh my God!"

"Yes," he raised his eyebrows, still a little bewildered because of her sudden outburst.

"That means she," Missy paused, trying to catch her breath, but still unable to stop laughing, "She saw those underpants."

"Yes," the Doctor hissed sharply over the sound of her laughter, "Hilarious. Can you please stop now?"

Missy wiped a tear from her eye and tried to calm down, but it still took her a moment to actually stop. Just when the Doctor was about to continue with his story and explain to Missy why the evening had been a disaster, the door bell interrupted him.

"I'll go," he growled, "Don't want you scaring anyone with that laughter or they might call the nearest asylum for the mentally unstable."

The Doctor trudged towards the door, but once he opened it to see who was in front of it, his heart sank into his boots. Then a punch handed in his shoulder.

"You're an arse!" Clara yelled at him.

"Ow! Clara!" the Doctor reached for his arm and stared at her in disbelief. He knew that last night hadn't gone well, but he had no idea what could have made her come here just to shout at him.

"You're an idiot!" she continued angrily, "You slept with me even though you know I'm engaged! You made me cheat! You were too stupid to use protection and I just had to listen to a very awkward lecture about STDs and I am absolutely furious with you!"

"Clara," the Doctor inhaled sharply, "Please, come inside, we can talk-"

"I don't wanna talk! I am angry and I just wanna shout at someone!"

"Please," he tried to beg her, but Clara simply groaned and turned around, ready to walk away. "We can talk about this!"

But Clara didn't seem to hear him as she stomped away without looking back. The Doctor knew that it wasn't his fault, well, at least not entirely, so he decided to give Clara some time to cool down. They would talk sooner or later. Later meaning tomorrow, when they saw each other at work.

When the Doctor stepped back inside the kitchen, Missy was sipping her coffee and from the look on her face alone he knew that she had heard everything,

"Oh boy," she muttered, "You're in trouble. Bet she didn't like the underpants."

When Missy chuckled, the Doctor simply turned around and headed towards the shower. He needed to clear his head and tomorrow he vowed to talk to Clara properly.

* * *

Clara had only just reached the right floor when she could already spot a large bouquet of flowers that someone had placed on her doorstep and instantly the guilt came back up. Even before she had read the card that was attached to the flowers, Clara knew that they were from Danny.

Once she had stepped inside her flat, she drew out her phone and read last night's text message along with the card and they confirmed her horrible decision. Danny hadn't broken up with her at all. Clara had just cheated on him.

While she was still holding the phone in her hand, considering her next move, Clara could hear it ring right as Danny's name popped up on the display. She answered it reluctantly.

"Hey," she croaked into the phone.

"Hey," Danny said back, "Did I wake you?"

"No, I only just got home. I spent the night on Amy's couch," she explained quietly.

There was a pause. "You got the flowers then?"

"Yep," she confirmed, her voice weak. The nausea was back, but this time it had nothing whatsoever to do with the Scotch or the punch. This time it was her guilty conscience. "They're lovely."

"Are you okay? You sound a bit off."

"Hangover," Clara explained, "Amy had warned me about the punch. I didn't listen."

She couldn't tell Danny. If she told Danny what had truly happened last night, it would break his heart.

"I'm sorry about the fight, Clara," Danny said after a moment, "I truly am. I completely overreacted and I really need to apologize. I couldn't stop thinking about what you said and I realize I should have seen how you felt, but instead I decided to close my eyes because I want that house and that marriage so much. I'm sorry. It never occurred to me to ask whether you were just as enthusiastic about it."

Clara swallowed hard, but she couldn't find the courage to reply.

"You gave me all the signs and I ignored them. You were reluctant about the ring, about the house and I should have made sure that it was what you wanted, but I didn't. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Tears were rolling down her cheeks and Clara couldn't stop them. Danny was the most perfect boyfriend a woman could wish for and she had just betrayed him in the worst of ways. She felt as if her heart was being torn into pieces because she loved the Doctor as well and a part of her wanted to leave Danny to be with him. And yet another part wanted to stay.

"Clara?"

"Yes?" she sniffed, "Yes, yes, I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry I shouted. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner. I'm sorry, Danny."

"So, we're good?" he asked carefully.

"Yes," Clara confirmed, even though it was a lie. Nothing was good. Nothing.

"Okay," she heard Danny sigh in relief, "Do you want me to cancel that appointment with the real estate agent in two weeks?"

Clara swallowed. She didn't want a house, but after last night she didn't want to put Danny through any more trouble. "No, it's fine. It's just looking, right? It's not like we have to buy one on the spot."

"Thank you," Danny replied in earnest, "It means a lot to me that you want to give it a try."

Clara nodded even though Danny couldn't see it. She was going to hell for this, that was certain.


	25. Chapter 25

_Thank you for the reviews :)_

 **Chapter 25**

The Doctor glimpsed around the corner as carefully as possible, spotting Clara already at her desk, scribbling notes down on a sheet of paper in a hurry. They desperately needed to talk and yet the Doctor found that his feet wouldn't budge. His throat felt dry and his palms were a little damp. He was scared.

After Clara had shouted at him the day before, the Doctor wasn't exactly sure how this conversation was going to go. Yes, they had slept together, but right now it seemed like a massive step backwards instead of forwards. It hadn't been the right time or the right circumstances and a part of him regretted how it had happened.

"Are you going to stand there all day or come in at some point?" Clara asked without even looking up, catching the Doctor a little off guard.

With no other choice left, the Doctor finally stepped inside, causing Clara to raise her head and look at him.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about the other night," he said.

Clara's eyes widened a little. "You regret that it happened?"

"Not that. How," the Doctor took a small step closer until he came to a halt next to her desk, "The circumstances were wrong, that's why I'm sorry."

She nodded softly. "And I'm sorry I shouted at you. It wasn't your fault."

A silence spread between the two of them and the Doctor began to shuffle his feet a little nervously, trying to think of a way he could ask the question that was weighing on his mind most heavily.

"What about Danny?"

Clara took a sharp intake of breath. "He doesn't know. He can't ever know. It would break his heart."

"So you're going to stay with him?"

In a sudden movement Clara pushed her chair back and rose to her feet, pacing the floor in front of the window. The Doctor watched as she raised her hand to her mouth and started nibbling on her thumb. When she didn't reply for a while, he was beginning to get worried.

"That's the question, isn't it?" she looked at him, "And I don't know the answer to it. Danny and I had a fight before the party and I had though he'd broken up with me. Turns out he hadn't."

"Oh," he uttered in response. That explained a lot.

"I don't know what to do," Clara came to a halt and shrugged, "I have feelings for you both."

With no idea what else to do, the Doctor simply spread his arms and Clara seemed to understand immediately and stepped forward into his embrace. The moment he held her the Doctor knew that he never wanted to let go – but that maybe he would have to. Clara was so small and fragile in his arms right now that he was afraid to break her if he kept the game going. He wanted her, but what he wanted even more was for Clara to be happy. And if that was with Danny, he would need to step aside.

"I think we need to talk. Properly. Honestly," he said after a moment, "Not here and not now. Wait until everything has cooled down a little. Then I could try to get rid of Missy and we could talk over dinner where no one could overhear or interrupt us."

He felt Clara nod against his chest, but she didn't respond, so the Doctor simply held her while a question she had asked him went through his mind again.

"Basil," he said after a while.

Clara turned her head and looked up at him in confusion. "Beg your pardon?"

"You wanted to know my name. That's it. Basil. Basil Smith."

The Doctor was unsurprised when Clara snorted in reply. "That's ridiculous," she laughed.

"Well, guess why I go by the Doctor," he rolled his eyes.

Still laughing, Clara tightened her grip around his chest and nuzzled her face back against the fabric of his shirt. "Basil Smith," she mused, "Well, could have been worse. And I don't know what I expected from a man who wears underpants with Teletubbies on them."

"Okay, okay," the Doctor wriggled out of their embrace to look at Clara, "That wasn't my fault. That was Missy. She hid my underwear and left me with nothing but those ridiculous pants."

Clara cocked am eyebrow at him. "Are you telling me you're wearing something like that again? What's it today? Bob the Builder?" she giggled.

He scoffed. "Like I'm gonna tell you."

Suddenly Clara's face grew a lot more serious as she reached out to cup his face in her hands and went up on tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips. The Doctor hardly had time to take in the sensation of her touch and by the time he had realized what was happening, it was already gone.

"Thank you," Clara said sincerely.

The Doctor frowned at her in reply. "For what?"

"For cheering me up," she told him with a smile.

* * *

The place was sparkling. The Doctor had gone all out and done his best to make sure that there wasn't a single item of clothing lying around, no dirty plate in the sink, no water drop on the tap. Missy's house looked like a model home.

"Well, look at this place," Missy gasped when she stepped into the kitchen where the Doctor quickly hid the cleaning cloth behind his back, "This is what I call making an effort."

"I was hoping you'd like it," the Doctor grinned at her.

Missy observed him for a moment, taking in his appearance from head to toe. "Okay," she said after a moment, "You can have your underpants back. You've earned them."

"I've also ordered from your favourite take out service," he told her, not even trying to hide his pride.

Now Missy seemed to grow a little wary as she watched him. "Okay, out with it. What else do you want?"

The Doctor cleared his throat. "The house to myself for an evening. Clara and I need to talk and we can't do it at the university because someone might overhear us. This place is ideal."

"No," his friend said strictly.

"Please," the Doctor begged her, "I really need to talk to her in private."

"Well, you can, but you can't have my house. I'm not spending the night somewhere else just so you can get your love life back on track."

The Doctor let his shoulders sink. Missy had been his only hope and now his entire plan was ruined. How was he ever going to talk to Clara alone?

"Doctor, you do realize that I have all these empty houses that you could use without bothering anyone, including me?" Missy cocked an eyebrow at him.

Suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Yes," she confirmed, "I'll give you a key, but you're gonna leave the house as spotless as you find it, okay? I don't want any potential buyers stumbling over your pants."

"Thank you," he uttered quickly and stepped forward, pressing a swift kiss to her head, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"


	26. Chapter 26

_Thank you for the reviews *hugs* Will Clara make up her mind now or will she just get herself deeper into trouble?_

 **Chapter 26**

Clara stared at the phone on her hands, comparing the address in the message with the one of the house in front of her and she knew she had definitely come to the right place. Yet why the Doctor had asked her here, Clara couldn't say. When she knocked on the door, still not entirely convinced she was actually at the right address, the Doctor opened a few moments later, wearing an apron.

"You're early," he blurted out and immediately reached for his hair, ruffling it and shaking out what Clara suspected to be flour.

"Finished preparations for my classes early," Clara replied and tried to look past him into the strange house, "Doctor, why are we here? Whose house is this?"

"Missy wouldn't let me use her own home, but she suggested I could use one of her listings. She's in the real estate business. I picked this cause it was closest to the university," he explained.

"Oh, okay."

"Well, come inside," the Doctor suggested and with a smile on her lips Clara stepped past him into the corridor.

It was a cute house, not particularly big, but there seemed to be enough space for two people. The furniture was modern and basic, if maybe a bit sterile looking, and Clara guessed it came straight from a well know Swedish furniture shop. However, when she stepped into the kitchen, Clara realized that the Doctor had done a great deal to make it a little more homely. His record player was sitting on a shelf, playing music at a low volume, and the table was already set. It was a thoroughly lovely thing to do for her just so they could talk.

"I haven't finished with dinner yet, I'm afraid," the Doctor said when Clara had dropped her purse on the table and she spun around, observing at him intently.

He looked adorable with his messy hair and apron, that look on his face that was so boyish and insecure. It melted her heart. If it wasn't for that one tiny, little doubt.

"Did you really ask me here to have dinner and talk?"

A frown appeared on his forehead. "Yes," he said carefully, "I thought that was the whole point of this. Why?"

"Let's not," Clara said with a smile and when the Doctor opened his mouth to reply, she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips on his own. His protest was silenced immediately and he closed his arms around her, pulling her deeper into the kiss.

She parted her lips and felt for his tongue, carefully, reluctantly, until she could feel his initial hesitation fade and give in to her.

"Clara-" he gasped when they broke apart for air.

"Hush," she laughed softly, "I said let's not talk."

"But-"

Again Clara pecked him on the lips, interrupting his sentence. "I'm the boss," she explained, trying very hard to look stern even though she felt thoroughly nervous. This was serious. She was about to cheat on Danny again and this time she was fully aware of what she was doing. It was exciting and frightening and she wanted it.

"You're the boss," the Doctor confirmed, a soft smile on his lips and his arms still holding a tight grip around her.

Clara reached behind his back and neck to undo the apron while the Doctor struggled to help her out of her coat, their lips clashing once again in a more passionate kiss. This time Clara took it all in – the way his mouth felt on top of her own, the way his body just radiated heat when pressed against her.

"Uhm," the Doctor mumbled against her lips when Clara was beginning to untuck his shirt, "I still don't have any condoms."

"I do," she replied breathlessly, a hint of a smirk on her lips, "In my purse."

Clara hardly had time to reach for her purse when the Doctor lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him in response and bent down to kiss him again. God, she didn't ever want to stop kissing him.

Slowly the Doctor made his way into the bedroom, carrying her all the way before lowering Clara back to her feet once he came to a halt next to the large and very soft looking bed. She sank down to sit on the mattress, her hands landing right on the Doctor's belt, and she looked up, frowning. "Are you wearing silly underpants?" she asked.

He chuckled in reply. "No," he said, "Missy was kind enough to give them back to me."

"Mh," Clara uttered, not entirely convinced, "I think I should check, don't you?"

"Oh, absolutely," he grinned at her when she started to undo his belt, going deliberately slow just to enjoy the thrill of the moment for a bit longer. Then she pulled down his trousers to reveal a pair of simple, black underpants.

"Huh, I'm not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed," she said, smiling up at him.

Clara uttered a sound of surprise when the Doctor suddenly bent down, lifted her up and threw her down further onto the bed before landing right on top of her. His whole body was pressed against her own and Clara could feel the excitement course through her body that concentrated in a tingling, itching sensation between her thighs. His lips kissed her throat, nibbling at the sensitive skin and causing Clara to moan while the Doctor's hands found the hem of her dress, working to pull it up. His hands seemed to be everywhere. On her legs, her arse, her stomach and breasts, but never where she actually needed them to be. Her juices were already pooling between her legs and Clara craved some sort of friction to tend to her arousal.

Finally, after their clothes had gone, the Doctor pulled away, panting, and looked at her. Then, at last, she felt his fingers carefully on the insides of her thigh.

"How do you like it?" he asked.

Clara smiled at him. "At this point you can do whatever the hell you want," she replied breathlessly.

Then suddenly his head was gone from her few and the Doctor slid down. Clara was about to ask what he was going to do when she felt him spread her legs and she sank back into the pillows. The moment his mouth cupped her sex Clara knew that she was unlikely to protest what he was about to do. She buried her hands into his hair and exhaled sharply once his hot tongue delved between her folds, the feeling of it almost causing her to moan out load in relief.

"Okay, that's good," she panted, "Definitely very good."

She spread her legs a little wider, allowing the Doctor full access as he lapped at her, mapped her out with his tongue and she leaned back, taking in every little movement, every little sensation as the warm, tingling feeling grew. He was good, _very_ good, and soon Clara found herself grinding against his mouth. She clawed at his hair, gasping when he dipped his tongue in, but it was only enough to drive her to the edge, but not beyond.

"Mhh, Doctor," she hummed, trying to get him to repeat the movement when his tongue was swirling around her clit. "Please."

His hand joined in and a moment later Clara could feel his fingers slipping into her wetness, filling her up and she tightened her walls around them to feel more. Clara rocked against his hand, going faster while his tongue only added to the sensation. Soon the movements blurred, merging into one big pool of feelings until finally, in waves of released, her orgasm came over her.

Clara was still panting when the Doctor came back up to press a kiss on her lips that robbed her of her breath.

"Thanks," she said, smiling at him.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "For what?"

She shrugged, giggling. "I don't know. Seemed like a good time to be polite."

He scrambled on top of her and a moment later Clara could feel his hardness pressed deliciously against her sex that was still throbbing from her climax, but the Doctor hesitated.

"Where did you say the condoms were?"

"Purse," Clara panted in reply and before she knew it, the Doctor was gone from on top of her and had reached for her purse. She took it out of his hands and drew out the package of condoms, only to earn a frown from the Doctor.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he laughed, "Just looks like you've come prepared."

Clara shrugged. "Maybe I had a hunch."

She opened the wrapping and reached out to pull the condom over his member, stroking him in the process at which the Doctor uttered a low moan.

"You like that," she noted with a grin.

"No, it's disgusting. Please stop," he laughed and Clara giggled with him.

The Doctor closed his eyes when she continued to run her hand up and down his shaft and her sex was beginning to prickle with desire once more. She was hardly able to wait until he was finally inside of her. He was hard and big in her hand and even though her memory of the night was foggy, she could remember just how good he had felt.

Then suddenly the Doctor pushed her back down, landing on top of her again and instinctively Clara parted her legs for him.

"Do it," she prompted him with a smile.

Clara gasped when he drove into her and she wrapped her arms around him for support as he began to move, filling her up with each thrust. The Doctor moaned softly, his eyes closed and brows furrowed while he focused on the task at hand and Clara decided to close her eyes as well and do exactly the same.

He rocked into her at a slow pace as if deliberately taking his time to build up that sweet, sparkling feeling as he went in deeper and he hit that spot that made her moan out load. Clara hooked her leg around his arse and tried to guide his rhythm, a little faster, a little deeper and then just a little more.

She could hear his breathing becoming faster, the Doctor panting into her ear as his movements sped up and his entire body was pressed against her own.

"Clara," he whispered hoarsely, his mouth nipping at her lobe for a moment, "You're amazing."

Then his hand reached for her hip and pulled her up, changing the angle just a little, but when he dove back inside of her, they both moaned in unison. His thrusts were coming harder now, a little more desperate, and Clara found that she didn't mind at all when he kept hitting her sweet spot, bringing her a little closer each time. The build-up was slow and sweet and almost maddening and Clara thought she wouldn't be able to take it a lot longer before she went utterly insane with desire. She clawed at his back, her nails digging into his skin and in response the Doctor uttered a low growl.

"Give it to me," she begged, "Come on, please."

The Doctor buried himself deeper inside her of, grunting when he sped up his thrusts and finally Clara could feel her muscles starting to flutter around him. This time it wasn't sweet or slow, this time her orgasm came crashing down on her with a force she hadn't expected as he kept thrusting into her and Clara could hear herself cry out in the moment of climax. Then the Doctor's movements stopped as well and with a deep moan he released himself.

Clara fell back into the sheets with the Doctor collapsing next to her, and for a moment she just needed to breathe.


	27. Chapter 27

_Thank you for your sweet reviews :) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!_

 **Chapter 27**

Even though his breathing had long returned to normal and his heart had slowed down, the Doctor didn't dare to move. Clara was dozing in his arms, his hand softly caressing her hair, and he just knew that once he started to move, he would break that wonderful spell that made him feel as if everything was perfect. Then Clara sighed in his arms and nuzzled her face against his chest.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she hummed happily, "Bit hungry though."

"Same," he laughed, "I could put the quiche in the oven."

"No, don't go," Clara complained and tightened her grip around his chest.

The Doctor chuckled in response. "Well, it's either that or starving."

Eventually he managed to convince Clara to let him go for the moment and the Doctor made his way back into the kitchen to finish preparing their dinner. It took a while, and as he was busy a the stove, he heard the shower run in the next room. His heart sank a little. He had hoped to just slip back under the covers to where Clara was waiting for him and continue this small moment, pretending that everything was okay.

However, Clara didn't join him in the kitchen and when the quiche was done the Doctor grabbed the bottle of red wine, two glasses and their dinner and made his way back into the bedroom.

Clara was lying in bed, wearing his shirt, and she had book in front of her nose that she was reading intently. Maybe they could continue their moment of happiness after all.

"Dinner is ready," he said and placed the baking mould down on the bed before he handed Clara a knife and fork.

She raised her eyebrows curiously. "We're eating in bed? Out of the baking dish?"

"You didn't seem eager to come into the kitchen," the Doctor replied as he opened the bottle of wine and poured them both a glass.

Clara threw the book aside and the Doctor watched as she sat up in bed, took a sip from the wineglass she was handed before she reached for the fork and poked it into the middle of the baking dish.

"This looks good," she uttered before she stuffed a piece into her mouth, "Mhhh, this _is_ good. Can I have your cooking skills, please?"

With a smile the Doctor settled down next to her and tried the quiche as well, glad to see that it was one of his better creations.

"When did Missy say she needs this house back?" Clara suddenly asked, her mouth still full.

The Doctor was a little surprised by her question. "Uhm, I don't know. I suppose she won't need it today. It's up for sale though. You can buy it if you like it."

"So," she dipped the fork into their food repeatedly, "We could stay here all night?"

He smiled as he leaned back in bed. That was something he really hadn't expected. He had expected dinner, talking and maybe he had even hoped for a kiss, but never this. Not after what had happened at the staff Christmas party. "We could," the Doctor found himself replying, "But won't you be missed?"

"No," she said, "Told Danny I'm spending the night at Amy's place."

He couldn't help but laugh, even though it wasn't really funny at all. "You really had this planned, hadn't you?"

"I hadn't planned anything," Clara's head shot up and she was almost glaring at him. Then the tone of her voice softened. "But I knew I couldn't leave things the way the ended at the party. That was cheap and wrong and I like you more than that."

The Doctor took a deep breath. He wanted to say something, tell her how much he loved her, but Clara interrupted his train of thoughts.

"I will talk to Danny. I'll be honest with him about marriage and the house and then I will make my decision. I think he deserves at least that," she said.

Slowly the Doctor nodded and he knew that whatever her decision turned out to be, he would have to accept it. And if she chose to be with Danny, the Doctor would pack his things and run because there was no way he would ever get over her now. Not after this.

Then suddenly her mood seemed to lighten up as she stuffed another piece of quiche into her mouth. "What about you? Do you want to get married, have kids and buy a house?"

The Doctor scoffed. "Well, there's a change of topic," he replied.

Still Clara raised her eyebrows expectantly.

He shrugged. "I just want you," he told her truthfully.

The Doctor had half expected Clara to scold her for saying that, to change the topic once more, to remind him of Danny. Instead she smiled as she dropped the fork into the baking form and before he knew what was happening Clara had swung her leg over him to sit on his lap.

"Just so you know," she beamed at him, "We're definitely going to stay over night."

When Clara bent down to kiss him, the Doctor had no idea why he should even try to protest her decision.

* * *

Clara laughed as she sank back into his arms and the Doctor took a deep breath, trying very hard to get his breathing back under control. The sun had already moved around the window and he guessed it was past 11 am, though the Doctor would be damned to actually bring up the time and cause this wonderful morning to come to an end.

Then he felt Clara move again as she scrambled to lie on top of him, staring straight into his eyes.

"Hi," she said happily.

The Doctor chuckled. "Hi."

They looked at each other for a long moment and there was so much that he wanted to say, so much that he wanted to tell her, and yet it all came down to one problem.

"Don't go back to Danny," he found himself saying and at the mention of his name the smile faded from Clara's face.

"You don't understand," quickly she averted her gaze, "I have been a terrible girlfriend. The least I can do is give him an honest chance."

When she moved to get up, the Doctor reached for her hand, attempting to pull her back. "That's the guilt talking, not you."

"You don't know that!"

Suddenly there was the clicking of a lock and for a moment their eyes met.

"Missy," the Doctor hissed and darted out of bed to where they had discarded their clothes the night before. As quickly as possibly both of them got dressed while Missy's voice already sounded through the house.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

The Doctor only just managed to close his trousers when Missy carefully glimpsed around the corner.

"Oh good," she said, "You're dressed. Good morning, Clara."

"Morning," Clara mumbled behind him and the Doctor turned around to throw her an apologetic glance.

"I just came by to tell you that I've got people coming in at 2 pm today. Wouldn't want them to catch you by surprise," Missy explained nonchalantly, but the hint of a smirk on her face told the Doctor that she had also wanted to see how their talk had gone.

"You could have phoned, you know?" the Doctor said.

"Ah, well, you know. I thought I'd better be thorough," she granted them a smile, "And now I'll be on my way again. Bye!"

The Doctor exhaled sharply once Missy had closed the door behind her and turned back around to face Clara, who looked more than a little uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry about that," he said sincerely.

"It's okay," Clara nodded, "I'll help you clean up."

When Clara followed him into the kitchen, the Doctor was glad of her help with the mess he had made of the room the previous evening, but he also realized that their great mood had vanished completely. The moment was gone.


	28. Chapter 28

_Thank you for the reviews!_

 **Chapter 28**

The Doctor set the box containing everything he had brought to the house down in Missy's corridor, feeling his back ache after carrying it all the way from the car, and he made his way deeper into the house. As lovely as the evening and night and even the early morning had been, he had ruined everything by mentioning Danny's name and asking Clara to leave him. The Doctor just wanted her so, so much, but it seemed that whenever he took a step forward, he also took several steps back. He had told her how he felt, he had shown her. It was Clara's decision and only she could decide – there was nothing more that he could do at this point but wait.

When the Doctor stepped into the kitchen, he found Missy busy at her laptop, obviously working. Wordlessly he slipped into the seat next to her.

"Hang on just a moment," she said and her typing became a little more frantic before it stopped altogether. "Okay, I'm all yours. How was the date night?"

"It wasn't a date night. Well, not originally."

"But you did have sex, right?" Missy raised her eyebrows at him.

The Doctor replied nothing. Instead he rose to his feet and walked over to the coffee maker to help himself to a cup. He didn't know why Missy was going on about that when she had already walked in on them and seen everything she had needed to see.

"Is she gonna leave the other guy?"

He sipped his coffee and almost spat the contents back into the cup in disgust. "Christ, how come you still haven't fucking learned how to make a decent cup of coffee?" the Doctor cursed.

Missy glowered at him.

"Sorry," he mumbled and set the mug back down, sighing heavily, "No, she isn't gonna leave Danny. Not yet anyway. She said she had feelings for us both and she wants to give him an honest chance."

"Bullshit," his friend said, "She's indecisive, that's all."

"Even if that is so, there's nothing I can do about that," the Doctor admitted sadly, "It's Clara's decision. I've done all that I can."

"So you're just gonna give up?" Missy asked him in disbelief.

The Doctor shrugged. "What else can I do?" He shook his head. "No, I'll wait for a while until she has made her decision."

"And then?"

He inhaled sharply and then granted Missy a sad smile. "If she chooses to be with Danny, you won't have to worry about me leaving things all over the place anymore."

Missy nodded and the Doctor knew that she understood what he was trying to say. If Clara chose to be with Danny, he would leave and never come back.

* * *

They needed to talk. Desperately. And yet, as Clara was staring at her phone, she didn't even know how to begin. Of course she would speak with Danny eye to eye, but how? When? What would she even say?

Oh well, Clara picked up the phone and decided that she would just make it up along the way and when she had already dialled his number, she knew that there was no way back now.

"Good morning, love," he greeted her happily, "Or should I say noon?"

At the sound of his voice Clara suddenly froze. What was it that she had wanted to do? Invite him for dinner? Meet at his place? Talk, yes, but where? How? She needed to be honest with him.

"Clara?"

"Yes," she blurted out breathlessly, "That's me."

Danny laughed on the other end of the line. "Is everything alright? Or did you just call because you miss the sound of my voice?"

In that instant Clara knew it was going to be tougher than she had expected. She had spent a wonderful evening and night with the Doctor, cheated on her fiancé once more, and this morning she had actually assumed she was going to break up with Danny. Now she wasn't so sure anymore. Danny was sweet and loving and Clara was a terrible person for what she had already done to him.

"Uhm," she spluttered, "Just saying hi. And that I love you. Yes, those two things."

Again Danny laughed. "Well, I love you, too. And it's very sweet that you called."

"Good," Clara sighed and leaned back against the sofa. Eventually they would have to talk and it was going to be tough enough. There was no need to scare him over the phone already.

"Are we still on for tomorrow?" Danny asked all of a sudden.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes," he confirmed, "We're supposed to look at houses? Just three, so don't worry. And we don't have to buy any of them just yet. It's only looking."

"I had completely forgotten that was tomorrow," Clara admitted, her voice low. She hadn't spent a single thought on that ever since they had had that discussion.

"Of course," she said determinedly, "Of course we're still on."

"So, I'll pick you up from work, then?" Danny enquired.

"Yes," she confirmed, but then Clara had an idea, "And maybe afterwards we could go to my place or yours and have dinner?"

"Can't we go to a restaurant? I don't feel like cooking."

Clara sighed. "I'd rather stay at home. And you don't have to cook. I'll do it."

"Fine," he agreed after a moment, "We'll do it your way."

"Thanks," Clara mumbled. Tomorrow they would talk. And she wouldn't chicken out again.

* * *

Clara was pacing her office nervously, hoping that Danny would pick her up before the Doctor got back from his classes. She wasn't so very keen on the two of them running into each other again, especially after what had happened between her and the Doctor. Things were bad enough, there was no need to complicate them any further.

Then suddenly there was a knock on her door, but it didn't come from the corridor, but from the Doctor's side and a few moments later he stepped into the room.

"Hey, sorry to bother you," he granted her a shy smile, "I need a couple of books that I stashed here at the beginning of the year."

Clara smiled back in relief. "Sure, knock yourself out," she replied and pointed towards a pile of books in the corner.

She watched as the Doctor picked up half of them and, as he was already making his way back to his own office, he came to look at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked sincerely and Clara wanted nothing more than to wipe that worried look from his face with a kiss. She wanted to kiss him, wanted him to hold her in his arms, but instead she had a date with Danny that would or would not end in a breakup.

"Yeah," she lied, forcing a smile.

Then her phone rang in her hand and Clara looked down to see a message from Danny on the screen. He was waiting outside.

Clara looked back up. "I've got to go. See you tomorrow?"

The Doctor simply smiled at her, but Clara assumed that it was just as fake as the one she had just given him and before she could say anything else the Doctor had turned around and headed back inside his own office.


	29. Chapter 29

_Thank you for the reviews. Hope you don't mind me throwing in a little meanness :D_

 **Chapter 29**

"So, where do we meet the agent?" Clara asked without real interest as Danny drove them through a rather quiet part of London not too far from the university. He was looking forward to this, Clara could tell.

"She will meet us at the first house, which is right here," he said and stopped the car in front of a white, clean looking house. It was boring, Clara could already tell from the outside, but she just had to make it through this afternoon.

Yet as soon as she stepped out of the car and the door in front of them opened, Clara realized that there would be one more obstacle to overcome.

"You must be Mr Pink and his fiancé," Missy's said cheerfully as Danny climbed up the stairs. Clara only reluctantly followed him. Of course. Missy was a real estate agent, the Doctor had told her repeatedly. And yet Clara would never have guessed that she was the one Danny had hired. He probably didn't remember that short moment they had met at the cinema and if Clara hadn't recently walked into Missy again, or the other way around, she probably wouldn't have recognized her either, at least not immediately.

"Well, come inside and have a look," Missy told them and while Clara slowly followed Danny into the house, she became increasingly aware of just how Missy was looking at her. That hint of a sneer on her face told Clara everything she needed to know.

"It's pretty," Danny commented once they were inside the corridor and overlooking the kitchen and living room.

Clara merely shrugged.

"As you can see the house is more than big enough for two people," Missy smiled broadly at them, "Or three if there's going to be a little one on the way soon."

"There isn't," Clara immediately blurted out and to her surprise, Danny started to laugh next to her.

"Don't be so harsh, Clara," he said and tried to place his arm around her shoulder, but Clara took a step back, looking straight at him.

"I'm not harsh, I'm just honest."

"However, if you're looking for something to accommodate more than one child, I think the next house we're going to look at would be more suitable," Missy said, smiling falsely.

"There's no need to think about children," Clara told her sternly, "That isn't gonna happen anytime soon."

Suddenly she felt Danny's hand on her wrist and he pulled her back towards him. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Clara, I know we've never talked about children before, but if we're gonna buy a house, we should make sure there's room just in case. I mean, do you want to move again in case we have children?"

"I don't wanna talk about children. I don't wanna _think_ about children," Clara replied, not even bothering to lower her voice. She felt irritated by the subject and she wasn't going to have that discussion in front of Missy.

"Maybe we should have a look at the next house. Clearly this one isn't what you have imagined," Missy suggested and Clara thought she looked pleased with herself for some reason. She shouldn't. She wasn't going to make a sale today.

"You can skip the bigger one," Clara said determinedly and maybe she only said it to spite Danny. She wasn't sure. "Children aren't in our near future."

Clara climbed into the passenger seat and Danny started the car, following Missy around the neighbourhood and not saying a single word for a long moment. Clara could feel that he was mad, but she didn't care. This whole thing had been his idea and he had known what she thought about it from the beginning. Just when Clara was beginning to think that maybe Missy had mentioned having children on purpose because she knew exactly what was going on, she became aware of the direction in which they were headed.

"Isn't that the way back to the university?" she asked just to be sure.

"Yeah," Danny replied, "I said we were looking for something close to work."

Clara sank deeper into her seat, praying that she was wrong, praying that Missy would take them some place else, but when the car came to a halt in front of a very familiar house, Clara knew that she was out of luck. And she also knew that Missy was doing this very much on purpose.

"This house is probably the best I have to offer you at the moment," she explained as she led them inside, "Enough space for two people, it's bright and close to the university. That is where you work, isn't it, Miss Oswald?"

Missy winked at her, but Clara didn't even feel like answering. As soon as she stepped inside she was instantly reminded of her evening with the Doctor. In fact, she was standing in the exact spot where he had suddenly swept her up and carried her into the bedroom. If only the Doctor was here with her right now.

"And right down the street is a truly lovely venue that can be rented for a wedding ceremony," Missy beamed at them.

"That sounds great, doesn't it, Clara?" Danny asked excitedly, letting his gaze wander around the rooms. "I like this house. It has a nice vibe."

Clara simply glared at Missy and she wanted so much to ask why she was doing this, why she was trying to torture her further, when Missy suddenly turned towards Danny.

"Mr Pink, why don't you go upstairs and have a look out of the window? The view from the second bedroom is fantastic," she said, "I think your fiancé needs a little more convincing."

Danny laughed. "Alright, but just so you know, if you manage to convince Clara, you'll get an invite to the wedding."

Once Danny's footsteps could no longer be heard, Clara stepped forward until she was eye to eye with Missy. "Why are you doing this?" she hissed, "You know exactly what happened between me and the Doctor in this house. And he's probably told you about every problem I have with Danny, so why are you bringing it up?"

"The Doctor is leaving," Missy said sharply.

"What?" Clara frowned at her. "Why would he do that?"

"He thinks you've chosen to be with Danny and he doesn't want to stick around and watch you get married and have children. He's packing his office as we speak," she explained calmly.

"No, he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't just leave without telling me," she argued.

Missy simply shrugged and then it hit her. The Doctor would do that. He absolutely would. In fact, he had already done that once before.

"Oh my God," Clara uttered, her heart sinking into her boots when she came to the horrible realisation that Missy was right, "He can't. He can't leave me!"

"Well, if you hurry up, you might still catch him in time," Missy told her and made a small shooing gesture with her hands.

Clara didn't even hesitate for a second. She simply grabbed her purse and ran.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

For a brief moment Clara considered getting a taxi, but there wasn't a single one in sight. She had walked to the house from her university building only a few days ago and she knew it wasn't far, but would she still be in time to stop the Doctor from leaving? Clara simply had to try.

She had never been a good runner and right now she was dearly regretting to have given up on jogging all those years ago. She was out of breath after only a minute and her lungs were stinging, her feet hurting in her heeled shoes, but none of that even mattered. She needed to see the Doctor before it was too late. How could she have been so stupid? It had been the Doctor all along, no matter how hard she had tried to make it work with Danny, no matter how much she had wanted for it to work. But the Doctor was the Doctor and he would always be the one, the last few weeks had only been proof of that. And now he might be gone before she had a chance to say what she had wanted to say for such a long time. It was then that Clara realized just how right Amy had been all those months ago. She would never be happy without the Doctor in her life. Clara dashed around the corner and almost ran straight into some of her students.

"Hey Miss Oswald," they called out, but Clara ignored them along with her hurting lungs and the shortness of breath. She needed to see the Doctor. Luckily the university building could already been seen on the horizon.

Clara had no idea how long it had taken her to run all the way from the house, but eventually she hurried up the stairs, hurried past Amy who threw her a confused look, and then her hand was on the door handle. She tore it open.

"You don't leave!" she blurted out, utterly out of breath.

Clara was gasping for breath, panting, but the stinging in her lungs wouldn't cease. Now that she was standing still, she also thought her feet would fall off at any given moment. It didn't matter. The Doctor was still here, sitting behind his desk and. . . munching a biscuit. He looked puzzled at her appearance.

"You're not going to leave," she repeated once her breathing had calmed down a little, "Because that isn't your decision to make. I needed time to think, to consider. I'm sorry I took so long. I'm sorry I was being so stupid. It was you all along, Doctor, you and no one else. I love you."

Once the truth was out, Clara felt as if a load had dropped off her shoulders. She had finally said it. It was going to be alright. And at the mention of the three words the Doctor swallowed hard and his eyes widened. Then, while her heart rate was beginning to slow down again, Clara started to take in her surroundings. The office looked just like it had always done. Books strewn everywhere, his desk messy and he was eating biscuits.

"You're not packing," she noted, frowning, "You're not leaving at all, are you?"

"No?" the Doctor asked back, his voice careful, "Who said I was?"

"Missy!" Clara blurted out, her breathing still a little ragged. "She just told me you were packing because you assumed I had chosen Danny!"

"Ah," he said and a flicker of realisation seemed to cross over his face. The Doctor rose from his chair and slowly started to make his way towards her. He granted her an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that."

Clara didn't understand. Nothing of it made any sense at all. Then the Doctor came to a halt in front of her, grinning broadly and suddenly she realized what she had just done. She had confessed her love for him. She had chosen the Doctor over Danny. She had made her decision. He was hers now.

Without thinking about it any further she hooked her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her lips. The Doctor kissed her eagerly, passionately, and they only broke apart once Clara thought she was running out of breath again.

"I love you, too," the Doctor whispered happily, smiling at her and Clara couldn't help but grin back at him.

And yet the matter with Missy didn't want to leave her alone. "Why did Missy tell me you were leaving when you weren't?" she asked breathlessly.

The Doctor chuckled. "Because Missy is Missy and you can never trust anything she says."

"She meddled," Clara frowned, "She knew I was gonna leave Danny standing there and run to you to stop you from leaving."

"You just left Danny standing there?" the Doctor arched his eyebrows up.

"Yeah," she bit down on her lip, "Poor Danny."

As if on cue her phone started to ring in her pocket and Clara didn't even have to check to see who it was. That was Danny, wondering where she was. He really did deserve better than her.

"I should take that," Clara said, swallowing, "I need to talk to him tonight."

When she lifted her head Clara couldn't help but notice the sad look on the Doctor's face, but there was no need for that anymore. Quickly she went up on tiptoes and pressed another swift kiss on his lips.

"I have an engagement to end after all," she told him and finally the Doctor cracked a soft smile.

When Clara retreated into her office, the phone still ringing in her hand, she knew that she had a very long night ahead of her. But at the end of it she would be going home to her Doctor and the thought about it made her insanely happy.

* * *

 _Ahhhhh, come here, my faithful readers and commenters, let me hug you! Thank you so much for reading and your amazing feedback, as always. You truly are the best! I'm so glad you've enjoyed this story and I hope to see/read you all again for the next one:_ **Pseudonymously** _. To be posted soon ;)_


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